Snapgear Expands Into Explosive European Markets
SnapGear is expanding it’s presence in Europe, Middle-East, and Africa and finds that these markets are sophisticated and growing aggressively.
LONDON, United Kingdom – November 26, 2002 – SnapGear Inc., a leading supplier of Internet security solutions, has announced plans for radical expansion throughout the EMEA region (Europe, Middle-East, and Africa) with the opening of a UK office.
In addition to opening the new UK office, SnapGear Inc. has signed contracts with 15 distributors across the region and appointed Chris Greaves as Manager of Sales for EMEA. Mr Greaves formerly directed the European sales effort for Rapidstream Inc (since acquired by WatchGuard), has previously held senior posts at Digi International and other leading IT companies, and he also holds an honours degree in Economics.
The market for SnapGear’s VPN Firewall solutions is growing rapidly. Infonetics Research reported this week that the Worldwide VPN and firewall market hit $668 million in 3Q02, and they forecast it will reach $874 million by 3Q03. EMEA is 31% of this global market. SnapGear Inc. now has engaged with distributors across 15 countries in Europe, the Middle-East, and Africa to service this demand. The success of SnapGear Inc. is attributed primarily to the power and versatility of SnapGear products at a time when businesses are looking for ways to continue essential infrastructure operation on a reduced budget.
Chris Greaves, SnapGear’s Manager of Channel Sales for EMEA, said: “We have been cautious in our selection of channel partners in these markets. They are different from the USA and you must understand them. We prefer value-added security distributors who are experienced in the needs of their resellers and end-customers. It is important that our products integrate as part of an entire solution. This is accomplished by combining the advanced technology and interoperability inherent in our products with the network integration skills of our channel.”
Benny Hansson, General Manager of Internet Smartsec in Sweden, said: “Taking SnapGear on board was good for business. Their products integrate well into customer sites and are surprisingly affordable given how much engineering is inside this equipment. Better still, SnapGear listens to our needs – whether it’s new hardware interfaces or increased functionality we’re never more than a few months away from getting the features that our customers are asking for.”
Channel partners of SnapGear find that signup is quick and painless. Their skilled IT staff can quickly take advantage of the Linux heritage of SnapGear appliances for deployment of highly stable network infrastructure.
Rick Stevenson, CEO of SnapGear Inc., said: “Europe is an excellent market for us. We have won a number of large OEM contracts, making the last quarter our best ever. Now with Chris Greaves on board, SnapGear has direct sales and distribution operations in the USA, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom as well as a network of 30 channel distribution partners in other countries.”
About SnapGear, Inc.
SnapGear Inc. produces SnapGear VPN Firewall Appliances designed to provide Internet security and privacy of communications for small to medium enterprises. SnapGear Inc. also does complete custom engineering and provides turnkey development, design, manufacturing, and fulfillment services for a variety of customers across the globe. For more information on SnapGear products and services please visit www.snapgear.com.au