Security Hardware- Fortinet Wins the Race

Security hardware is one of the new categories added this year in the DQC-CMR Channel Satisfaction Survey. The channel partners evaluated the top 4 companies in this segment, including Cisco, SonicWall, Fortinet, and Cyberoam. And as per the ratings given by these partners, Fortinet has been well endorsed by them for its security hardware products. Though the race was quite close between Fortinet and Cyberoam, the former ruled the roost with its overall product quality, commercial terms, and relationship management. Fortinet's products are not only technologically superior and offer value for money, but are also diverse in range, user-friendly, and conform to specifications. Apparently, it has scored 100% points in overall product reliability over all its competitors. The profit margins given by the company, the efforts towards back-end incentives and its settlement, promptness in communicating the schemes/incentive programs, credit policy, and flexibility in commercial terms and policies are very much laudable by the channel partners of the country. Above all, Fortinet has garnered a healthy relationship with its partners, as it not only runs training and certification programs for them, but is also consistent and effective in communicating with its partners.

Cyberoam has managed to put other players a little behind in the race by performing well in providing marketing support to its partners. It not only has an efficient team to carry out marketing activities but has also done proper allocation of funds for marketing along with providing point of sales material to its channel artners. The ratings also suggest that the services of the company's account managers/helpdesk are very competent and always available for the partners. And besides having a proactive service approach, Cyberoam has an excellent technical expertise to resolve problems. However, the company certainly lacks in terms of conducting training and certification programs for its partners.

It seems that the networking giant, Cisco, has failed to impress the channel partners in all the parameters except for the relationship management. The company certainly needs to buck up in overall product quality, especially in the area of technological leadership. It also needs to concentrate on the market development programs and ability to provide satisfactory repair and replacement services to its partners across the country. Its product pricing, profit margins given to the partners, transparency in commercial terms and policies' all have to be re-visited so that it lives up to the expectations of the channel partners.