3 March 2008
by Alex Scroxton
The latest tie-up between WAN optimisation solutions vendor Riverbed and unified threat management market leader Fortinet has been criticised by competitors for being too complex and not having any integrated products.
The two vendors claim their alliance will allow them to deliver complementary security and application acceleration solutions to enterprise customers.
But Nigel Hawthorne, vice-president of EMEA marketing at Riverbed competitor Blue Coat, claimed he had seen steady growth in demand for integrated security and WAN solutions in the past year and Riverbed/Fortinet installations would be "expensive and complex".
"Customers will need two devices at each site, each with different interfaces. Data will be travelling through four additional devices between offices," Hawthorne explained.
He slammed a "mish-mash" of products that lacked the richness of understanding needed for a comprehensive WAN application delivery system.
Hawthorne conceded that the move validated Blue Coat’s own opinion that companies needed to provide security at the same time as acceleration applications.
"We understand it, but we are surprised that there’s been no actual product announcement," he said.
But Mark Lewis, Riverbed senior director of marketing and alliances, said there was good reason not to create a single box: "We know that they work well together already, but as both are best of breed solutions there is no need for integration at the code or technology level.
"We simply do not see a convergence on security and wide area data services. People are not saying that they want to see the two in the same box."
He added there was no intention to create a joint, integrated appliance.
Fortinet EMEA marketing director Paul Hennin added: "Ultimately we both have a very similar approach to our technology. We both have integrated software and hardware that reduces network complexity to begin with."
James Hall, director at Riverbed partner Teneo, said the tie-up was a "logical step".
Hall said the partnership offered good opportunities for resellers in both channels to get to grips with a new product area, but added that Teneo would not go down that route.
"We’re a niche player ourselves and the security market is horrendously crowded. You need experience and quality, so it’s probably a bit late for us," he added.
"We would, however, be interested in looking for Fortinet partners that think the same in reverse. There’s potential for us to partner with another reseller."
