By Alain Penel, Regional Vice President – Middle East, Fortinet

Businesses across the region are now in the process of rapidly enabling teleworking and remote productivity solutions to maintain business and operational continuity with high levels of security. This can be a complicated process when expediency is so critical. To complicate the process further, businesses in the region need to provide a growing number of remote workers with more than just a secure connection back to the core network or datacenter resources they are used to be remotely connecting to.

As an increasing number of applications are also being hosted in the cloud, organizations need to consider providing secure remote connectivity directly to those applications rather than backhauling those applications through the core network. Direct connectivity will not only reduce the load on the network, but also improve overall user experience, especially for high-bandwidth or latency-sensitive applications.

A Unique Secure Solution for All Deployment Scenarios

Deploying large-scale VPN solutions for remote users enable simple access, segmenting users based on role, security profile, and the content and resources they require are first-order tasks.

Teams also need to identify users that require special access to resources, like power users, such as system administrators, IT support technicians, and emergency personnel who require a higher level of access to corporate resources and the ability to operate in multiple, parallel IT environments. Or workers that process extremely sensitive and confidential information or require advanced access to confidential corporate resources, such as administrators with privileged system access, support technicians, key partners aligned to the continuity plan, emergency personnel, and executive management, and those users that require site-based access.

These considerations require thinking about the entire network architecture, from cloud to on-premise to endpoint. Fortinet addresses these and similar requirements by providing a flexible operating system that is consistent across form factors – whether deployed in the cloud, on-premise, or in a power user’s home office – and whose management can be centralized for policy orchestration, VPN templating, and user segmentation.  

Enabling a Multi-Pronged Security Approach

Our customers who deploy FortiGate solutions in the cloud, on-premise, or at remote locations are able to take advantage of its single pane of glass management, enabling the control and orchestration of multiple firewalls across locations to establish and maintain consistent security and user experience. We understand that business performance largely depends on user productivity, access to content and applications, at any location, at any time. With remote access and the ability to manage performance across locations using Secure SD-WAN as a core capability the Fortinet Security Fabric securely provides flexible options for mobile and fixed access to cloud resources at massive scale. 

Leveraging Existing Innovations

Addressing new or increased capacity requirements due to growing demand for applications hosted in the cloud as well as SaaS services can seem like a significant challenge. But by leveraging the innovation and capabilities in their existing technology investments, organizations can often address a majority of their requirements without significant additional overhead. Businesses that have invested in Fortinet’s Security Fabric architecture have access to all the necessary tools in a single pane of glass management system. It enables them to fine tune their existing configurations and environments to address urgent and increasing needs, while addressing critical business requirements, providing the organization with the lifeline they need to effectively and securely support their increased remote worker communities.

Nutanix (NASDAQ: NTNX), a leader in enterprise cloud computing will be hosting Nutanix NOW – a live digital event for organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to learn about the latest trends and the most innovative technologies in the field of data centre and enterprise cloud computing: hybrid cloud, hyperconvergence, data management and end user computing. The virtual event will take place on April 13, 2020 at 10:00 am.

The exciting 3-hour online event with the theme ‘Bringing the Cloud Inside’ is planned for attendees to learn how to easily solve the cost and complexity issues associated with legacy infrastructure. Nutanix executives will discuss the key skills needed to develop a winning hybrid cloud strategy and how to use artificial intelligence-based lifecycle management and machine learning to deliver ideal experiences for customers and employees.

“Legacy technology that wasn’t made to work together leads to slow, manual, unstable, and expensive infrastructure—and IT teams and businesses suffer as a result,” explains Aaron White, Regional Director, Middle East at Nutanix. “Nutanix provides cloud technologies that combine the ease-of-management and usability of the public cloud, with the security, control, and performance of on-premises infrastructure. Our vision is a seamless enterprise cloud experience: One-click simplicity. Freedom to choose your hardware, hypervisor, and clouds. With Nutanix NOW we want to offer answers and solutions to IT modernization needs with the adoption of a successful hybrid cloud strategy.”

In addition to the vision of regional leaders of Nutanix, this important virtual event will see the participation of the company’s top management starting with the opening keynote address by Dheeraj Pandey, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Nutanix, followed by Tarkan Maner, Chief Commercial Officer who will illustrate Nutanix’s multi-cloud vision; Monica Kumar, SVP Product and Solutions Marketing who will talk about the future of data; and the reflection of Wendy Pfeiffer, Chief Information Officer, on ‘IT in the time of COVID-19’.

The event will also feature product demos, customer success stories and live Q&A sessions.

Participation is free upon registration at the following link – https://www.nutanix.com/company/news-events/nutanix-now/uae#agenda.

Mindware, one of the leading Value Added Distributors (VADs) in the Middle East and Africa, has extensively strengthened its security capabilities and portfolio. This will enable its channel partners to address the growing cyber security needs of enterprises across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

Following the acquisition of Arrow ECS, Mindware inherited a large portfolio of security vendors. Among others, the revamped portfolio now includes Barracuda Networks, Forcepoint, McAfee, RSA, and Trend Micro.

Mr. Nicholas Argyrides, General Manager – Gulf at Mindware explains, “For today’s CIOs, IT security has become one of the highest priorities considering the increasing number as well as sophistication of cyber threats. As organizations undergo digital transformation and expand their digital presence, they, unsurprisingly, become more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Technology trends such as Cloud Computing also increase similar risks. As such, the security shielding of companies needs to evolve, so as to include the latest security solutions coupled with best practices. This will ensure that the organization is not compromised in any way.”

“Against such scenario, we see the security business as being one of the major growth drivers for Mindware and our partners. Our focus in this segment will, of course, mean an increased investment in resources, training and certifications.”

Mindware has been steadily building out its security team and, by now, has a healthy spread of security specialists installed in every key country across the region. They work with partners to ensure that the various security vendors in Mindware’s portfolio are well-represented and promoted. The team comprises of product managers assigned to the various security vendors. These product managers work closely with the vendors to plan and implement strategies to increase market penetration. In addition, there is a parallel team of certified and highly skilled pre-sales engineers. These engineers are not only proficient in helping partners conduct proof of concepts (PoCs) but, upon request, also supporting when it comes to the actual implementation. This is especially helpful for those partners that are yet to develop their skillsets for particular solutions or technology verticals.

The distributor has also developed robust capabilities in conducting demos and PoCs pertaining to every single one of its security vendors, always in conjunction with its system integrator partners.

“These PoCs carried out by Mindware and our partners are often executed by deploying the product in a virtual setting in the end customer’s datacentre, which is fast becoming the favoured mode when it comes to testing. Alternatively, we also support partners in conducting PoCs by physically installing products on prem. These demos allow potential customers to test the solutions prior to a full-fledged implementation, which is invaluable in demonstrating the effectiveness of a particular offering,” said Mr. Argyrides.

The Cloud team at Mindware is currently working to identify and add relevant security solutions to the recently launched Mindware Cloud Marketplace in order to create co-sell opportunities for partners using the platform. These solutions are typically those that complement the Microsoft products currently available on the Marketplace and can be sold as a bundle.

Mindware also has agreements with its various security vendors to act as their Authorized Training Centre (ATC). The company regularly conducts training and certification programs across the region for end customers as well as channel partners.

“When it comes to IT security related skills, the general consensus is that there is a need for continuous education in our region. To help enhance skills, we plan and conduct a very dynamic series of seminars and training programmes every month, which are typically attended by both end users and partners. These sessions take into account the constantly evolving security landscape and the specific market needs at that point in time.”

Fortinet’s Engage Partner Program Offers Channel Partners New Enablement Initiatives and More Flexibility to Drive Business Growth

News Summary

Fortinet® (NASDAQ: FTNT), a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, recently introduced its new Fortinet Engage partner program. The program provides partners with specializations focused on growing markets, including SD-WAN and cloud, customized support and engagement flexibility to accelerate their business growth and expansion.

John Maddison, EVP of products and CMO at Fortinet

“With today’s digital innovations being a catalyst for organizations to evolve their networks and security strategies, we have transformed our partner program so partners can untap new opportunities and rising markets, including SD-WAN. Building on our investment in our partners, the new program offers specializations, updated enablement initiatives and tailored support for unique business models to further partner success.”  

Helping Partners Keep Up With Digital Innovations

Organizations are rapidly evolving and expanding their networks to keep up with the digital economy. By 2023, IDC predicts that the global economy will finally reach “digital supremacy” with more than half of all GDP worldwide driven by products and services from digitally transformed enterprises. As organizations transform their networks, security plays a critical role and also needs to evolve to keep up with new business demands.

Recognizing this, Fortinet designed new enablement initiatives and specializations, allowing partners to take advantage of digital innovations and this changing landscape. Fortinet’s Engage partner program provides greater flexibility on partner engagement, offers customized support to partners’ business models and allows partners to specialize in emerging areas through tailored training and certifications.

Expanding Partner Opportunities Through New Partner Program

Fortinet’s Engage partner program addresses the required technology and sales skills needed from new network ecosystems, such as next-gen branch offices and dynamic cloud environments comprised of multi-cloud and hybrid cloud. The new program is based on three main concepts, including:

• Specializations: Partners are able to select an area of specialization to receive additional support and benefits in their chosen areas. These include: Dynamic Cloud, Secure Access and Branch, Secure SD-WAN and Data Center. Customized training and certifications are available for each of these specializations to help partners upskill in emerging areas, further enabling partners to capitalize on growth opportunities.   

• Business Model: Fortinet offers specialized support for partners that fit the following three business models: MSSP partners, Market Place partners and Traditional Integrator partners. By offering customized support for these unique business models, Fortinet is evolving its partner program to further embrace growing business areas such as the selling of managed services. 

• Engagement: Partners have greater flexibility when determining the level of engagement they want to have with Fortinet. They’re able to select the type of expertise they want developed, the benefits and the revenue stream. This allows partners to select how they want to work with Fortinet to grow their business. As a result, there are four new levels of partnership outlined in the program ranging from Fortinet Advocate, Fortinet Select, Fortinet Advance and Fortinet Expert. More information about what these levels entail is available here.

Partner Supporting Quotes

“As a longtime Fortinet partner, Infosec Partners has been providing our customers with advanced security through the company’s Security Fabric platform approach. Just as the security landscape is everchanging, so are the business needs of our customers. Recognizing this, Fortinet’s new partner program allows us to take full advantage of the growing opportunities that the expanding digital marketplace provides through extensive, tailored support and specializations in areas like SD-WAN, Secure Access and Branch as well as bespoke decoy and deception controls”

Mark Oakton, CISO, Infosec Partners

“Fortinet has the unique combination of product innovation and partner enablement initiatives. Fortinet’s new partner program builds on its existing initiatives, providing specializations focused on high growth areas to enable partners like us to further expand our business. We look forward to leveraging enhanced aspects of the program as we continue to invest in our partnership.”   

– Koshy Oommen, Director – Infrastructure and Security at Intertec Systems LLC 

“As the Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) market has grown and evolved Fortinet has maintained a steady presence, providing new and innovative solutions to Layer 3 Communications. This enables us to meet the security requirements of our customers. Seeing the new partner program add more incentives for different business models is a true testament of Fortinet’s commitment to helping MSSPs like us grow our managed security services, ultimately leading to maximizing profitability.” 

-Rodney Turner, President & CEO at Layer 3 Communications

“As our customers migrate to the cloud, they depend on NuSpective Solutions to help design and deploy their cloud environment for optimal scale, performance and security. With security being a critical part of our customers’ cloud strategy, Fortinet has been an invaluable partner in helping us provide greater value to our customers in this endeavor. We are pleased with the Dynamic Cloud specialization and the additional training available to us through the new partner program. This enables our team to expand our knowledge and expertise in this growing space.” 

 -Dave McMorrow, Principal and Co-Founder at NuSpective Solutions

“We’re excited about Fortinet’s new partner program. The Missing Link has heavily focused on leveraging Fortinet’s NSE Institute training and certification to become a leading provider, and the results speak for themselves. Fortinet has consistently been one of our fastest-growing vendors, year after year. The granularity and specificity of this program lets partners choose which areas and capabilities they wish to specialize in, including growing markets like SD-WAN. We look forward to continuing to invest in Fortinet to ensure The Missing Link can continue to provide the best level of service, innovation, and security to its clients.”

– Aaron Bailey, Chief Information Security Officer at The Missing Link

“Fortinet continues to provide MSSPs outstanding support as it evolves its new partner program’s enablement to further focus on modern business models like ours. Fortinet has been instrumental in our business success, and we look forward to building on our partnership as we continue to expand our managed services offerings and deliver ever-increasing value to our customers.”

-Brian Page, Chief Technology Officer at Xiologix

Mindware, the prominent Value Added Distributor in the Middle East and Africa, announced today the signing of a distribution agreement with Mitel®, a global leader in business communications. As per the agreement, Mindware will market, distribute and service the entire range of Mitel’s cloud and premises-based Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) solutions across the Gulf region.

Mitel’s cloud, enterprise and next-gen collaboration applications power more than two billion business connections globally. It is the undisputed leader in cloud communications. The company’s public, private and hybrid cloud solutions have made it the choice of nearly 4.7 million business users worldwide. Mitel is the only brand recognized across the Gartner Magic Quadrants for Contact Centre, Unified Communications and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS).

Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Nicholas Argyrides, General Manager – Gulf at Mindware said, “Business communications is the lifeline of any organization today, particularly these (challenging) days, when an organization’s physical premises are typically not the preferred workplace for most of us. Recent research has shown that business professionals spend over half of each working day in communications activities. Needless to add, a company’s communications and collaboration practices and technology immensely affect its productivity. And this, in turn, impacts the organization’s bottom-line.”

“We have been looking forward to working with Mitel since such all-around product range nicely rounds off our portfolio as we add top-class UCC to our offerings. With the current anaemic trends in the market, productivity tools such as those offered by Mitel will inevitably become an integral part of organizations’ digital transformation plans.”

With Mitel looking to increase its footprint in the region, Mindware will provide its more than 2,000 Gulf partners access to the vendor’s solutions. The distributor will also actively seek to recruit new partners having strong capabilities in business software integration, unified communications, cloud computing, mobility, and virtualization. As part of the ramping up process, Mitel will extend full support and conduct training and enablement sessions for the Mindware team. In addition, Mindware will set up a Mitel ‘demo lab’ to enable partners to ‘test drive’ the solutions and get an in-depth understanding of the product technicalities.

With Mindware betting heavily on the Cloud this year, they see a tremendous potential opportunity for the regional adoption of Mitel’s cloud communications offerings. The VAD will be soon be listing Mitel’s cloud solutions on its newly launched cloud marketplace.

Feras Zeidan, Managing Director, Middle East & Africa at Mitel said, “Mitel MEA is honoured to build another growth milestone pillar and sign a regional GCC distribution agreement with Mindware. I am convinced that our new partnership with Mindware will fulfil the partners’ voice, video, UC & CX projects profitably and into the cloud. While working with Mindware’s in-country teams on enablement, fulfilment & post-sale support, our partners & customers will get local value addition, better design services, middleware integration, training and support. In partnering with a solid VAD like Mindware, technology partners will also gain faster fulfilments, fit-for-purpose solutions & roadmap entry into our software & services world.”

“The Mindware & Mitel partnership in the Middle East and Africa is extremely strategic in terms of executing our strategy for hospitality, healthcare, contact centre & SME/ mid-market. We are creating our go-to-market with Mindware, built around these segments to effectively communicate with partners. Channel enablement, trainings and PoCs will be very instrumental in building strong channel landscape with Mindware for Mitel business,” concluded Asif Khan, Channel Director, Middle East & Africa at Mitel.