Synnex Signs BlackBerry for IoT, Secure Mobility; Lifeboat Signs Arcserve

Lifeboat and Synnex, two U.S. technology distributors, are growing their supplier portfolios.

Synnex signed a partnership with BlackBerry. Synnex will distribute BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Suite, which includes software and services for internet-of things (IoT) devices. Richard McLeod, BlackBerry’s global vice president of enterprise software channels, said Synnex partners and customers will benefit from the combination of mobility, machine learning and AI-based threat detection services.

BlackBerry’s Richard McLeod

“Trusted and respected security-centric partners are extremely important as organizations recognize benefits of secure IoT initiatives,” McLeod said. “Synnex has a very strong reputation, reach and partner network in the commercial and enterprise markets.”

BlackBerry was already partnering with Westcon-Comstor, which Synnex acquired two years ago. The partnership focused on Latin American and Asia-Pacific markets, but now includes the U.S.

Synnex will recruit, train and manage key reseller partners for the BlackBerry Enterprise Partner Program.

“We are pleased to help BlackBerry expand its commercial and enterprise businesses in the U.S. through this strategic new agreement,” said Reyna Thompson, Synnex senior vice president of North American product management. “Due to our commitment to partner enablement through comprehensive services and support offerings, as well as our expertise in security and IoT, we are well-positioned to help customers effectively manage and grow their business with BlackBerry.”

New Jersey-based Lifeboat signed backup and recovery provider Arcserve. Lifeboat president Dale Foster said Arcserve is leading “a resurgence in the fragmented backup marketplace.”

Lifeboat’s Dale Foster

“As Lifeboat continues to focus on emerging technologies, we were drawn to the fact that Arcserve now has an all in one backup-and-recovery offering from cloud, virtual and physical environments. We’re anxious to join their new channel plans,” said Foster, who earned a promotion from executive vice president earlier this month.

Lifeboat has targeted other emerging technologies this year by partnering with enterprise storage-as-a-service provider Zadara and cybersecurity provider Imperva. Lifeboat is a subsidiary of Wayside Technology Group.

Arcserve executives called the agreement a reaffirmation of Arcserve’s commitment to the North American channel.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Lifeboat to extend Arcserve’s delivery of world-class backup, disaster recovery and replication solutions to partners and customers in North America,” said Stephen Thomas, Arcserve’s senior vice president of North America sales. “Lifeboat is a premier value-added distributor in the technology space and their dedication to world-class customer service and support aligns well with Arcserve’s vision and mission.”