Kathy Gibson reports from the Cyberoam Partner Summit in Sun City – All organisations require network security regardless of size, industry or geography – and Cyberoam is well positioned in the African market with a flexible product range.
Adrian Anema, channel manager of Cyberoam SA, says the company has seen pleasing growth in the southern African region.
In the region, Cyberoam has a 8,3% market share in security appliances at the number three position, just slightly lower than second-ranked Dell.
In 2011, the company reported $700 000 of revenues, and has grown to $1,3-million by 2013/14 in the SADC region. South Africa is still the largest market, at $750 000, but all the markets are growing.
Head count in the SADC region has grown from seven in 2010 to 20 in 2014, with three Cyberoam employees based in the Johannesburg office.
There are 450 partners including 150 committed gold partners. The partner base across the region is growing at 45% year on year.
IDC forecasts good growth for security appliances in the EMEA market, with UTM (unified threat management) appliances also set for healthy growth.
In South Africa, firewalls and UTM appliances increased their contribution the security appliance market in Q4 2014, generating 15% and 59,6% of the market respectively.
Cyberoam prides itself on its post-sales support, Anema adds, with support always available 24×7, via multiple channel – Web, telephone, live assistance and more.
Importantly, Cyberoam products are flexible and fit into a number of key verticals – and any company between 50 to 5 000 people is its target customer, says Anema.
Benefits of being a Cyberoam partner include committed discounts, which are generally negotiable, Anema says. The company also offers partners access to leads as well as a deal registration facility. There is a dedicated partner portal and access to the Partner Advantage Programme.
“Partners can also use a dedicated technical support chat as well as access to a comprehensive knowledge base.”
Cyberoam wants to encourage more marketing and has committed to marketing development funds (MDF) for its partners. It will also get involved in special promotions and incentive schemes.
Marketing activities include breakfast and dinner meetings with end-user customers. It will also get involved in reseller and end-user events as well as exhibitions, where partners will be involved.
There are a number of current offers on the table, for instance the HA (high availability) policy as well as the NFR discount. The company offers an education or NFP policy as well. There are trade-up promotions available s well as access to demo appliances.
Looking to the future, Anema explains that Cyberoam in South Africa is growing and adding infrastructure. “The engineers in India are putting a lot of work and investment into next-generation firewall products,” he says. “They are also strengthening the business in the SAHO market with new appliances – and new products will soon be launched for this market.”
In addition, Cyberoam is investing in on-the-ground resources, committing to 30% more MDF and more vertical/enterprise focused promotions.
What it means to the reseller, Anema says, is more profitable business for partners. This rises from Cyberoam’s commitment to its partners and leads to long-lasting relationships.
The company will do this by being proactive, he adds, and by working smart. The company has made a commitment to educating the business partners and by tendering assistance when it’s needed.
“Let’s get out there and sell,” he says. “There has never been a better time to be in the security business.”
