The VAR Guy

Riverbed is expanding their relationship with Microsoft by combining Riverbed WAN optimization with Microsoft’s Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG). The solution is bundled together into on single appliance. Here’s a bit about the effort.

It works like this: Microsoft’s TMG lives on the Steelhead appliance. It lets customers virtualize their branch office infrastructure, while also giving “LAN-like” application performance for branch users, all while protecting them from spam and web threats.

The Microsoft-Riverbed partnership also takes advantage of Riverbed services as well, notably the RSP or Riverbed Services Platform — which is a virtualized platform that runs branch services integrated into the flagship Riverbed Steehead appliance.

VARs can use RSP to deploy up to 5 services on a single device, increasing consolidation even more. Riverbed also stressed you can virtualize and run other Microsoft services on RSP, like Windows Server, Active Directory and DNS/DHCP.

But what about the channel? I spoke to Vikram Ramesh, senior solutions marketing manager at Riverbed. Very simply, Riverbed says the company is moving beyond networking VARs.

“Systems and security VAR now have more [opportunity]. WAN optimization and security opens [the playing field] to more VARs. [You] don’t need a traditional VAR [and it] gives customers more solutions [and] packages.”

Currently, Microsoft TMG costs $1,499 for those with a Steelhead appliance with RSP. Customers can also chose to deploy Windows Server as well.

Sign up for The VAR Guy’s Newsletter, Webcasts and Resource Center. And follow him via RSS; Facebook, Identi.ca and Twitter.

Read More About This Topic

• Cloud Computing Boosts Security, Productivity for SMBs
• Norton 360 Everywhere Boosts Mobile Device Protection
• D&H Offering VARs Cloud-Based Solutions, Education
• eRacks Offers High End PCs to Open Source Crowd
• BYOD Doesn’t Have to Be a Headache