22 April 2008

Wick-Hill says credit crunch not affecting IT security sales

Steve Gold , reporting from Infosecurity Europe 2008

Ian Kilpatrick, the chairman of the Wick-Hill Group, says that the escalating effects of the credit crunch it not affecting sales of IT security hardware, software and systems at the veteran distributor and systems integration reseller.

According to Kilpatrick, Check Point's launch of five new appliances in two model ranges at the Infosecurity Europe show, reflects the fact that IT security systems prices are continuing to fall and this, he says, is helping to maintain sales momentum in the IT security industry.

"The new appliances from Check Point, which we are handling, see the entry-level price point come down to $4,800 - a shade over 2,500 pounds - which pushes the price/performance level to the best it's ever been for these types of security systems," he said.

Check Point's new Power-1 range of appliances are billed as having the best price-to-performance ratio firewall ($4 per Mbps) in the market, whilst the three new UTM-1 appliances for enterprise sites combine the company's application and network-layer firewall with many other features at a starting price of $4,800.

Kilpatrick said that he sees good growth from Check Point's decision to pitch firmly into the best price/performance end of the appliance market.

To help his dealers maintain their sales, even in the face of the escalating credit crunch, Kilpatrick said his firm is extending an extra 1.5 million pounds of credit facilities to resellers, to allow them to supply Wick Hill products without having to pay up-front.

"Our sales last year grew by 30 per cent and, so far this year, we're on target to maintain that growth for this year. The extra credit facility will help in that regard," he told Infosecurity Magazine.

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