Apere Starting To Make A Name For Itself With New Channel Program

The company has signed on six partners to sell its Identity Managed Access Gateway (IMAG), an identity management appliance that ensures users only get access to the applications they are authorized to see. An additional 10 solution providers are expected to forge partnerships with Apere soon, said Jared Hufferd, vice president of business development and sales at Apere, San Jose, Calif.

"The business problem we're trying to solve is that the IT manager has to provide access to sensitive data [including applications and network usage], all while keeping security best practices and staying within regulations," Hufferd said.

For customers, identity management can be a complex project, said Aubrey Brown, founder and president of Corsa Network Technologies, a solution provider in Campbell, Calif.

"You need to be able to take your solution and pull down all of the identity information contained in those identity stores. It could be 25 to 30 locations where that ID info is stored," Brown said. "We're enthralled with what Apere has done. They have a very complete solution that's quite inexpensive compared to alternatives, and it's easy to implement."

The new Team Partner Program offers VAR and integrator partners two levels: Free Agent, which provides a onetime finders fee for referrals, and Most Valuable Partner, for partners providing full solutions.

The company also is offering MDFs and a deal-registration program that provides participating partners with a 20-point advantage over other partners on registered opportunities.

The IMAG appliance is priced starting at $15,000.