Timed with ESET’s rollout of iOS mobile product lines, they see DESlock+ as providing partner cross-sell opportunities because it is simple to deploy, evaluate and use.

Channel-focused security software vendor ESET has expanded its relationship with its Technology Alliance partner DESlock+ to provide encryption of email, attachments and text for devices running on the Apple platform.

DESlock+ is a British company, in business since 1985, which has a global presence, but whose main markets are in Europe. ESET is their exclusive distribution in North America. ESET chose them because their product is relatively simple to deploy and use.

“Encryption still isn’t widely done today, even though the technology has been around for decades,” said Jeff Chen, Director of Product Marketing for ESET North America. “The reason it isn’t widely adopted even though it has been around so long is because it is hard to use. DESlock+ has a fresh take on encryption, and their technology is easy to use. That’s their advantage.”

“DESlock+ has a patented central management system in which proxy servers in the middle make it easier to manage,” said Don Lewis, Product Marketing Manager, Business Security, at ESET North America. “They also have a very instinctive GUI.”

“We believe this will provide great value for our channel partners as a cross-selling opportunity,” Chen said. “Encryption is tough to deploy and evaluate. DESlock+ has an easy way to get customers to test the technology, in which no digital certificate required, and the customer doesn’t have to open up a firewall port. Those difficulties have been a huge barrier to selling encryption. Unlike many other encryption products, however, this one is easy to try and deploy in the customer’s environment.”

ESET’s previous relationship with DESlock+ covered Windows products.

“This extension is to roll out the first of the mobile product lines for the iOS,” Lewis said. The market opportunity is significant. Frost and Sullivan says about half of the BYOD market is iOS.

The ESET Technology Alliance partner program launched in the fall of 2013 with DESlock+ as the first vendor partner.

“The idea behind the program is to find technology providers with best in class solutions that complement ESET,” Chen said. “We don’t ship bloated solutions, and we look for partners with the same streamlined design philosophy.”

DESlock+ remains the only partner in the program, but Chen said they are looking at additional possibilities.

“There is partner interest in adding backup and disaster recovery solutions,” he said. “App control is another area of interest.”