Westcon-Comstor to deliver Proofpoint pro services

Westcon-Comstor has expanded its partnership with Proofpoint after gaining authorisation to deliver Proofpoint professional services, making it the first distributor in Europe to do so.

The move adds a new services track to Westcon-Comstor's existing work with Proofpoint, which includes training delivery and marketplace programmes. Westcon-Comstor plans to offer packaged deployments based on Proofpoint best practices, initially focusing on Proofpoint email security products.

Services rollout

Westcon-Comstor is positioning the new offering around predefined service packages for channel partners that want production-ready deployments without building a full in-house Proofpoint delivery practice.

Services will be delivered under Proofpoint's Certified Deployment Partner programme, which sets requirements for partners implementing Proofpoint technologies and providing associated professional services.

The initial emphasis will be on email security, a core area of cybersecurity spending for many organisations. Westcon-Comstor expects to extend its services coverage to additional Proofpoint products later this year.

Channel focus

Westcon-Comstor positioned the initiative as a way for channel partners to grow services revenue. Many resellers and systems integrators have increased their focus on repeatable service packages in recent years, as procurement shifts towards managed and subscription-based models.

Westcon-Comstor will sit between Proofpoint and the channel, offering implementation services that partners can incorporate into customer engagements. This model can shorten deployment cycles when partners lack internal capacity or customers require faster delivery.

Professional services are often an entry point to longer-term managed security services relationships. Email security deployments can require configuration, policy work and integration with existing identity and security tools, and organisations often rely on specialist partners for that work.

Existing partnership

The professional services authorisation builds on earlier steps in the partnership. Westcon-Comstor previously became the first Proofpoint Authorised Training Partner in Europe, allowing it to deliver Proofpoint-certified training and enablement to channel partners and end users across the region.

Separately, Proofpoint has joined Westcon-Comstor's AWS Marketplace programme, which gives partners a route into AWS Marketplace transactions. Some vendors and resellers use this to simplify procurement and contract management for cloud-based offerings.

Westcon-Comstor operates across cybersecurity, networking and hybrid cloud distribution, with a presence in more than 50 countries. It goes to market through the Westcon, Comstor and Rebura business lines.

What executives said

Westcon-Comstor said the expanded authorisation opens a new area of service delivery for the distributor and its partner network.

"Gaining authorisation to deliver Proofpoint professional services opens up exciting new possibilities for Westcon and our partners," said Martin Flensburg, Vice President Services Delivery and Go-To-Market, Europe at Westcon-Comstor. "Professional services represent a significant growth frontier for the channel thanks to the scalable nature of the model and the repeat revenues and high margins on offer. This agreement with Proofpoint highlights our leadership in this space and our commitment to creating new opportunities for our partners."

Proofpoint linked the move to implementation quality and the outcomes customers see from cybersecurity investments.

"Effective cybersecurity depends not only on technology, but on how well it is implemented," said Kent Breaux, Senior Vice President, EMEA at Proofpoint. "Through our Certified Deployment Partner programme, Westcon-Comstor will deliver Proofpoint professional services that enable partners across Europe to implement and deliver our solutions to customers, strengthening their security posture and accelerating time-to-value."