Articles by Albino Pili

On September 30th CommonIT’s Swiss partner Navixia brought together 90 IT managers and consultants for the third Navixia Forum, a half-day conference dedicated to information security solutions.

This year the program included five customer case studies, including a prestigious Geneva-based client of commonIT who shared their experience of a Virtual Browser deployment with the audience. Participants responded enthusiastically to the presentation, covering how Virtual Browser is used to deliver a secure Internet access service. We’ll be bringing you more details shortly.

The Virtual Browser solution offers an excellent alternative to traditional VPN-based technologies for remote access to web-based applications or remote desktop (Citrix/TSE) environments, or even for connection to the office PC. Virtual Browser delivers higher performance and security, and it’s simpler and less costly.

To accelerate the uptake of Virtual Browser as a solution for mobile and remote access, we’ve developed an OEM partnership program for security and mobility solutions vendors. OEM partners will be able to offer Virtual Browser technology under their own brand, with pricing adapted to their business model.

The solution is delivered using the SaaS model, hosted on our own servers or on the OEM partner’s infrastructure, with technical support from commonIT. Our objective is to make Virtual Browser available to the largest possible user population through partnering with software and hardware developers for whom the solution represents an opportunity to add value and generate new revenue streams in a market where demand is strong.

In addition to the recently announced partnership with Hermitage Solutions, we are currently in discussion with three other potential partners in Europe; we hope to see the results early in the new year. For more about the OEM program contact us at oem@commonit.com.

Navixia, a leading information security integrator in the French-speaking regions of Switzerland, is now a commonIT Gold partner — the first channel partner for the Virtual Browser solution outside France. Claude Krahenbuhl, Managing Director of Navixia, sees clear benefits for Navixia customers in the innovative Virtual Browser solution. And Navixia’s customers have responded enthusiastically.

Navixia offers a flexible, customer-centred approach to information security, enabled by the high level of technical skills and experience of the Swiss company’s founders and employees. For commonIT, we see this as validation that our technology and our business model can reach beyond the purely domestic market, and it marks a first concrete step in fulfilling our international ambitions.

Insight, a leading worldwide reseller of IT solutions, has signed a partnership agreement with commonIT covering the French market. Virtual Browser joins the range of products now offered to French customers of Insight.

Present in 170 countries, with global sales of $4.8 billion in 2008, Insight is placed 484th in the Fortune 500 listing of major US enterprises. In France Insight has solid relationships with major accounts in key markets for the Virtual Browser solution and being referenced by Insight will facilitate our approach. Listing by Insight is also recognition of the quality and the potential of the Virtual Browser solution, in a product catalog including world leaders in enterprise hardware and software solutions.

“Double nonfat soy vanilla latte”
“Give me a soy macchiato… No, make that a soy caramel macchiato”
“A triple long extra pump white mocha, please”

Huh? Has commonIT started a side business training future baristas? No, it’s the guys practising their Starbucks jargon for the upcoming invasion of the American market.

OK, we’re not quite there yet. But when John Dunn, Security editor at TechWorld (a leading UK IT news site) interviewed Dan and David about Virtual Browser release 1.0, the news was quickly duplicated to Network World, probably the most widely read news source (print and online) among IT professionals in the US. And thanks to the miracle of news syndication the same story reaches a different audience, more Web 2.0, in The Industry Standard.

All of which provides a welcome boost in visibility in the run-up to the Infosecurity Europe show in London, April 28th to 30th — come by and see us on the French Pavilion, stand N65.

And here in Lyon, “un café” is the only phrase you’ll need to learn for your daily dose of caffeine.

With a turnover of €30M, the Feeder/Frame group is one of the biggest French distributors. And with reseller networks covering France, North Africa and Canada Feeder is the ideal partner for commonIT.

Analysts and early adopters have responded enthusiastically to the launch of the Virtual Browser solution. Demand is strong, and we need to rapidly develop channels to broaden our market reach. Feeder delivers technical expertise, sales know-how and network of 2,500 resellers, allowing us to focus our resources on R&D, market development and key partners and accounts.

With Feeder we signed an distribution international agreement with a goal of one million euros in 2009.

We will move quickly to roll out a reseller recruitment drive. Resellers will have the opportunity to test drive the Virtual Browser solution and familiarize themselves with the commonIT Reseller Program. We’re offering an innovative approach to information security which has significant reseller benefite in terms of added value and margins.

It’s my turn to tell you about David Dupré, finishing the round up of commonIT’s founders.

When I first met David in 2001, I was struck by his ability to see the big picture. David is a marketing natural and a born leader able to adapt, to anticipate, to innovate, capturing market tendancies.

 
David Dupré:

David started his career with Arkoon’s newly-created sales team in 2001 as a pre-sales consultant, after graduating from the INSA Lyon engineering school. A year later he left Arkoon to study marketing and business strategy at EMLyon Business School.  He returned to Arkoon as manager of Product Marketing, and was named Director of Marketing in 2006. He played a major role in a series of key developments which contributed to the growth of Arkoon - a successful M&A operation extending Arkoon’s product lines, channel development, IPO, European expansion.