In June 2011, The VAR Guy caught up with the channel chiefs of Astaro and Sophos to discuss Sophos’ acquisition of Astaro. Both said for now, it was business as usual for both companies, especially when it came to the channel. Fast forward one month, and the acquisition is complete, which means changes are definitely on the horizon. What can we expect from the combined entities and how will it shape the security landscape? Read on for the details …

According to Sophos, Astaro fills in the blanks to enable Sophos to provide an all-encompassing solution, from desktop to the outer edge of the network. Sophos now has the power to protect against a range of threats, making the company a strong contender in the security arena. But The VAR Guy is less interested in the romance between firewalls and virus definition companies, and more interested in what happens when the two are mixed together. So how will Astaro’s DNA jibe with Sophos’?

The first offering will include Astaro’s Security Gateway added to Sophos Anti-Virus, creating a “real-time protection” appliance from viruses, malware and more, all thanks to the Sophos Live Protection infrastructure platform. Sophos and Astaro have laid out their plans for more integration, which will include helpful features such as central management of endpoint security, greater enforcement of security policies, visibility of mobile security and, eventually, the ability to tap into consumer and user-based devices that are in remote branches or home offices. Sophos and Astaro want to create a security IT arsenal that IT admins will be happy to use.

Sophos and Astaro partners both stand to benefit from the union — Sophos partners can get in on the Astaro portfolio after completing certification, and the same goes for Astaro partners who are interested in Sophos solutions. The VAR Guy sees no downside for either channel partner base. Partners from either company are likely to benefit from this integration of technology, making it easier to sell and easier to bundle turnkey solutions for customers. When news of the acquisition broke, Astaro noted it was looking to penetrate into vertical markets that partners may not be familiar with. Creating bundled and integrated solutions could be a more streamlined way to get a foot in the door when approaching unfamiliar territory.

Our resident blogger thinks the security landscape, both for the channel and the end user, will get more layered and combined as the years roll on. For example, Sophos has made strides with cloud security, and having Astaro under its belt will certainly bolster that momentum. But how will bigger companies such as Symantec deal with the acquisition? This is Sophos’ and Astaro’s time to shine, and The VAR Guy will be waiting to see if this new blending of companies will truly be a one-two punch for channel partners.

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