The VAR Guy

F5 Networks isn’t putting a lock on your freezer, but the company is looking to lock up Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and maybe put the freeze on a would-be hacker. Thanks to F5′s BIG-IP Edge Client for Android, F5 says it’s the first to put a feature-complete SSL VPN client solution on a mobile device. Interested?

Sophos is adding to its security solutions portfolio with its Sophos Virtual Web Appliance. Designed to protect and integrate with a variety of virtual environments, the appliances hopefully will make the management of virtual machine security easier. Here’s the scoop …

Over the holiday vacation I had the unpleasant experience of someone hacking into my Apple iTunes account to make a fraudulent purchase. The result? A weeklong experience with iTunes e-mail support, which for all intents and purposes, is ineffective. Here’s my story.

Spreading IT resources across multiple physical locations can lower costs, protect against data loss and improve performance. But it also creates more opportunities for bad people to break in. With concerns like these in mind, Opengear is making a run at the security space with the introduction of a new gateway product centered on security. Here’s the scoop:

In an effort to be more inclusive of all its security offerings to its channel partners, RSA has updated its SecurWorld Partner Program to focus more on specialties and solutions-specific training.

My time here at the McAfee FOCUS 2011 Security Conference is just about over. I leave you with the details on two major McAfee announcements around partner profitability and network security before I pack up and hit Dallas for the 2011 Tigerpaw User Conference.

Not content to rest on its laurels following its July 2011 acquisition of Likewise’s AD Bridge technology, BeyondTrust has acquired GentleSecurity for its data loss prevention smarts.

E-mail and web security vendor M86 Security is leaning more on its channel partners to help it move deeper into the enterprise, and as such has redesigned its partner program in the Americas with a slew of new tools and incentives to jumpstart the process.

Selling data storage is like running a grocery store — it may not be the most glorious or exciting corner of the market, but it’s one for which demand is relatively constant. And the data storage channel got a little larger this week with the debut of Likewise Storage Services. Here’s the scoop, and why it matters.

Paxton Access Solutions has signed on with Ingram Micro in an exclusive distribution relationship to provide Paxton Access’ security offerings to Ingram’s North American channels. Partners in security-heavy verticals such as health care and government could have a lot to gain form this new agreement since physical IT security is an often-overlooked source of revenue. Read on for the details …

Cloud-based protection company Panda Security has launched Panda Virtual GateDefender Performa, a cloud-based virtualized perimeter protection solution. Although the title is a mouthful, the product is easy to swallow, giving Panda’s partners a new way to approach customers in the virtualization space. Read on …

Siemens Enterprise Communications is breaking the tradition of selling third-party session border controller technology for its OpenScape Voice offering by developing its own SBC technology.

Back in the day when telecommunications and IT were two separate technology categories, value distributor Westcon was one of the first to recognize the two would be one sooner rather than later. Its legacy in the communications space and its focus on networking have since put the distributor high on the list of top-line vendors looking to serve a reseller base that understands the meaning – and impact – of convergence.

I just returned from a trip to the Scottish Highlands in search of the Loch Ness Monster and the Bonnie Prince. While I’m sad to report that both remain elusive, I did spot Ubuntu in use by a small business where I least expected it. Here are the details.

Mention the word “mesh” in tandem with the term “outdoor network” and chances are you’re bound to be met with a grimace or two from seasoned IT professionals who spent way too much time trying to optimize a traditional campus-wide mesh network. The technology, after all, is inherently flawed – each hop on a mesh network reduced output so significantly that the user experience was severely impacted (at which point the user would give up and go find a Starbucks for a decent wireless connection).

Palo Alto Networks is looking to move into your data center with its new GlobalProtect PA-5000 series. The offering also marks the fourth release of PAN-OS, making this the first time new hardware and software have been paired to provide enterprise-level capabilities for ‘next-generation’ firewalls. What does that all boil down to? Here’s the information, straight up …

PC vendor Lenovo and WinMagic, which specializes in whole-disk encryption, have joined forces to create a security solution for ThinkPad and ThinkCentre. Lenovo SecureDoc, being demonstrated this week at RSA Conference 2011, provides central management of self-encrypting hard drives. With data loss prevention solutions continually on the rise, Lenovo could be on to something.

Websense is expanding its distribution agreement with Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions (ECS) to North America. Until now, Arrow ECS has carried Websense security products through ECS, but only in Europe. Read on for the meat and potatoes of the expanded partnership …

Kaspersky Lab is setting its sights on the bronze medal in security as it gains market share and becomes more of a household name, said Eugene Buyakin, Kaspersky COO, during the company’s 2011 Americas Partner Conference, held in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Kaspersky Lab peppered the first day of its 2011 Americas Partner Conference in Riviera Maya, Mexico, with a slew of new product announcements and partner offerings as well as hints of upcoming technologies designed to strengthen its partners’ collective bottom line.

Kasperky Lab is hosting its annual Americas partner conference Feb. 3-6, 2011, in Riviera Maya, Mexico, and while the weather will be a welcome respite from the brutal winter here in the North East, it’s a safe bet partners actually will be more focused on what Kaspersky can do for them.

Moscow-based security vendor Kaspersky Lab has received funding from private equity firm General Atlantic to fund the next stage of its growth strategy, according to the company.

Dell is pushing deeper into the data protection and encryption world. The latest move is called “Dell Data Protection | Encryption.” Designed to be a flexible and easily managed endpoint solution, Dell has high hopes for where it’ll play out in the real world. Dell’s channel partners should take note because  “Protection | Encryption” is for more than Dell computers…