Availl Hops Network Engines

WAFS (wide area file services) software vendor Availl today clinched an OEM deal with security specialist Network Engines, showing yet again how WAFS technology is being deployed in conjunction with a range of products and services. (See Availl, Net Engines Sign Deal.)

Terms of the deal formalize a setup wherein Network Engines is licensing Availl's WAFS and CDP software and building it into its two-rack-unit-high NS Series device, a sort of branch office "God box" containing firewall, VPN, and Web-caching features. The newly equipped NS Series, in turn, is being sold to systems integrator Getronics, based in Amsterdam, which is selling the device as part of a globally available managed service offering for branch offices. (See Getronics Intros Service.)

Network Engines says other integrators will likely be added to the list of those offering the combined solution at an unspecified future date.

The Getronics Managed Branch service is specifically aimed at the financial sector, where firms are wrestling with the demands of regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley. (See Users Splash Cash on SOX, AMR Sees $6B in SOX Spending, and CA's Clarke: SOX Driving IM.) Files that are being worked on locally can also be replicated and archived at a central location, while providing extra security through firewalling and VPNs.

Mike Fisch, analyst at the Clipper Group, told Byte and Switch that it makes sense to add WAFS to the managed services mix, particularly in the financial sector. A number of firms, such as IBM, currently offer backup as a managed service and Fisch believes that WAFS could dovetail nicely with these offerings. "WAFS could be an augmentation to a data protection service."Certainly, WAFS is gaining considerable momentum at the moment, as evidenced by Riverbed's decision to go public. (See Riverbed Makes It Official and Sources: Riverbed Reaches for IPO.) The WAFS market is also experiencing a slew of M&A activity, with Packeteer recently snapping up Tacit Networks and Expand buying DiskSites. (See Packeteer Picks Tacit, Sources: Packeteer Eyeing Tacit, and Expand Snaps Up DiskSites.)

But long-term success in this market hinges on forging the partnerships that will secure new routes to market. Riverbed has already clinched OEM deals with McData and HP. (See McData Hits Remote Control, HP Upgrade Features OEM Crowd, and Top Ten Private Companies: Spring 2006.)

"There's a number of solutions out there and it's a race to get them to market," says Fisch. The holy grail for WAFS startups is a deal with the likes of IBM, EMC, or Network Appliance.

Craig Randall, Availl's vice president of marketing, told Byte and Switch that the Network Engines deal is the startup's third OEM partnership, although he would not reveal the identities of the other two.

Randall's counterpart at Network Engines, Mike Riley, added that his firm looked at a number of potential partners before settling on Availl. The final decision was prompted by the fact that Availl's products, like Network Engines', are Windows-based. "Availl bases their technology exclusively on the Windows platform, and that's very important to us."Getronics, like Availl and Network Engines, works closely with Microsoft and is touting the devices as a way to help firms roll out the forthcoming, yet controversial, Vista operating system. (See In-building Cellular Vs. Wireless LAN.) Key to this is the Microsoft ISA server contained within the NS Series device, which lets users cache desktop updates from Microsoft.

According to Getronics, the Managed Branch service will be sold on a single monthly fee with pricing dependent on the size of the branch office.

There are a couple of downsides. For one thing, Getronics is the only integrator offering the solution from Availl and Network Engines. With no date for future integrators to adopt the combo, customers outside the financial sector -- or those who don't want to work with Getronics -- will be left out of the loop.

Another potential drawback is that many firms may not be comfortable outsourcing such critical security and file sharing functions in the first place. Some users may prefer to handle that type of work themselves.

James Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and SwitchOrganizations mentioned in this article: