Perfigo Launches Channel Program

The new program will launch with more than 25 VARs and system integrators, many of whom have worked in some capacity with the San Francisco vendor since April.

John Kelly, vice president of channel sales, said he sees partners as a critical ingredient for growing the company's business. He said he plans to shift Perfigo's focus from direct to indirect sales in the months ahead.

"We think it's important to have a collaborative sales approach," he said. "Put simply, there's no way we can do this without the channel."

The Perfigo channel model will center specifically on a registration program that will financially reward partners who log deals as they ink them. According to Kelly, those partners who register new contracts will receive an additional 10 percent commission over those who do not.

Kelly declined to reveal what the base commissions would be, except to say margins would be "competitive." That description appeared to be enough for participating solution partners, who seemed excited at the prospect of becoming involved.

"Their solution is different enough that it allows us to cross-sell new technologies into our customer base, and allows us to get into new customers as well," said Dan Burke, a partner at Asset Intelligence, Columbus, Ohio. "When a company presents you with opportunities like that, [it's] a channel program you want to join."

Bill Strub, vice president of consulting at Accuvant, Denver, agreed -- emphasizing that Perfigo's technology sealed the deal for his firm. Two products that impressed Strub most: SecureSmart, a user authentication tool, and CleanMachines, a security policy enforcement tool.

"Our customers need to stay ahead of network threats, control who has access to what information and resources, enforce security policies on both wired and wireless devices and keep their costs down by implementing highly scalable solutions," Strub said. "Perfigo has all of those requirements covered."

Perfigo's inaugural 25 resellers also include Corporate Networking, Worcester, Pa., and Tailwind Associates, Amsterdam, N.Y.