Dell SonicWall Unveils New Partner Program For Post-Dell Split

Dell SonicWall is making moves to establish itself as a channel player after its split from Dell, announcing the launch of a new partner program for the network security technology at its Peak 16 event in Las Vegas.

’This is really exciting for us,’ Steve Pataky, vice president of worldwide security sales at Dell Security, said. ’The timing for Peak 16 couldn’t be better for us because as we work to think about independence and standing up SonicWall outside of Dell, really a huge catalyst event for us is being able [roll out] a holistic single partner program that’s really fine-tuned for security, fine-tuned for our security partners, and for the SonicWall solutions.’

The new Reward for Value program, unveiled Monday, will make all products available to partners with up-front discounting, as well as additional incentives for incremental value, rebates and deal registration. SonicWall deal registration is now separate from Dell deal registration under the new program, he said.

Related: Dell Exec: SonicWall Will Be 'All About The Channel' After Sale To Private Equity

Pataky said SonicWall will also roll out training and enablement offerings specialized for SonicWall offerings, separate from Dell Security’s overall portfolio. That includes sales and SE training and enablement and accreditation for both sales and technical personnel. It will also include training on the latest threats, such as ransomware, zero days and APTs. He said SonicWall is rolling those enablement offerings out online and with mixed media, so partners can access the tools and training in a way that is most convenient for them.

SonicWall will also roll out a new dedicated partner portal, separate from Dell Security, Pataky said. From there, partners can access all of the information and tools they need to be successful, he said.

The launch is significant because it begins the partner separation of SonicWall from Dell, Pataky said. Dell agreed to sell Dell Software, which includes the SonicWall business among other lines, to private equity firm Francisco Partners and the private equity arm of activist hedge fund Elliott Management in June. Now, Pataky said SonicWall has the opportunity to take the best of the partner program pieces from Dell, from its time before it was acquired by Dell and from current partner feedback and bring them into a single program.

’It’s a luxury to have a business of our size, a channel of our size, and the legacy we have, but we still get to take a fresh look at all of this, whether it’s the program or the infrastructure to support it,’ Pataky said.

Larry Cecchini, CEO of Secure Designs, a Greensboro, N.C., managed internet security solution provider that works with SonicWall, said he’s eager for SonicWall to resume life as an independent firm.

Cecchini said Secure Designs’ SonicWall business was up 80 percent last year, ’and we’re positioned now to make another leap of about 80 percent in the coming year.’

’We had the best experience working with SonicWall when they were a stand-alone, privately held company,’ Cecchini said. ’Secure Designs as a VAR is a different kind of VAR, we work on big strategic initiatives, and when the Dell organization got involved, it really slowed things up. It never affected money, but it became bureaucratic. Now, [SonicWall] can be faster, nimbler. You can do things you can’t do as a division of a bigger company that’s always doing other stuff, and Dell was always doing lots of other stuff.’