Tag Archives: Africa

Westcon-Comstor to add EfficientIP solution to its distribution portfolio in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific

Agreement delivers EfficientIP’s DDI and DNS Security solutions to Europe, Africa and APAC channel communit

LONDON, UK – 12th April – Westcon-Comstor, global technology provider and specialist distributor, today announced it has signed a new distribution agreement with EfficientIP. The partnership will bring EfficientIP’s industry-leading DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI) and DNS Security solutions to all European and African markets, as well as Asia-Pacific.

In the last two years we have seen a sharp increase in the remote workforce, prompting an increased demand for greater flexibility in network management and security teams. The race to embrace the cloud, deploy IoT devices, digitally transform business operations and upgrade to new software has also added complexity and reduced visibility across company networks.

This proliferation has not been lost on hackers and as a result, we’re seeing more cyber threats, with DNS servers becoming a prime target for exploitation. In fact, the latest survey conducted by IDC on behalf of EfficientIP revealed that nearly 90% of organisations (87%) experienced DNS attacks, with the average cost of each attack around €780,000 (£694,000). This illustrates the pivotal role DNS plays for network security, both as a threat vector and security objective.

Traditional network security solutions today cannot cover all aspects of the DNS threat landscape, leaving major gaps for hackers to exploit. Without a resilient and all-encompassing security interface in place, companies risk losing access to vital services and assets. EfficientIP’s 360° DNS Security solution fills the gaps left by taking a holistic approach to DNS security. The solution tracks attacker behaviour in real-time and provides immediate alerts to keep mission-critical services protected.

Alongside security threats, there’s also an evident pressure on companies to stay agile and competitive in this new normal. To do so, IT and IP-based devices cannot be overlooked. As companies integrate more IP-based offerings, high quality network infrastructures are of critical importance. EfficientIP’s Network Automation solution increases productivity, improves risk mitigation and facilitates a better time to market, which are all critical to staying dynamic.

The DNS security software market is expected to grow from US$ 1,200.41 million in 2021 to US$ 2,314.56 million by 2028. Westcon-Comstor’s partnership with EfficientIP will strategically expand its portfolio of industry-leading DDI vendors to capitalise on this market growth, while complementing the distributor’s existing network-focused vendors, such as Extreme Networks.

“For network admins, the increase in IoT devices, move to the cloud, and hybrid working all throw up some critical threats and pressure to the network. As the number of connected devices on a business’s enterprise network increases, keeping track of those IP addresses can become an overwhelming task,” said Daniel Hurel, Vice President, Westcon Cyber Security & Next Gen Solutions, EMEA.

“EfficientIP’s DDI service allows network admins to streamline these processes, removing much of the complexity involved in protecting the network. Keeping network administration simple, accessible and operating in real time is vital to successful management, operational efficiency and security. In addition, their 360° DNS Secfurity solution offers a specialised layer of in-depth defense to secure businesses from both external and internal DNS threats. Bringing EfficientIP’s solutions into Westcon-Comstor’s arsenal of cybersecurity gives our partners a valuable tool to curtail the cybersecurity drawbacks of the changing ways of work and make enterprise networks easier to secure.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with Westcon-Comstor to expand our footprint in Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific. With Westcon-Comstor operating as our primary distributor in those regions, we are bringing DDI and DNS Security to a new network of channel partners and resellers at a faster rate. The company’s specialist capabilities across these territories will play an important role in standardising our sales and marketing activities, ensuring high-quality, cohesive operations while further developing our channel ecosystem,” said Leonard Dahan, VP WW Channels, EfficientIP.

“This is only the start of an exciting partnership. Following this agreement, we also have plans to build on our relationship with additional support from Westcon-Comstor in the Professional and Education Services space.”

People complete 40,000 online courses in January providing Kenyan schoolchildren with 800,000 hours of learning

SCHOOLCHILDREN in Africa will have access to hundreds of thousands of hours of education, thanks to people taking online courses throughout Europe.

Online learning platform, GoodHabitz donated €1 for every online course completed throughout January to Computer Aid International, a charity which provides schools in developing countries across Africa and South America with IT equipment and education.

More than 40,000 courses were completed, raising a total of €40,234 for Computer Aid, which will now allow students across three schools in Kenya to access up to 800,000 hours of education.

Each €1 donated provides each individual student with 20 hours of learning.

The donation will allow Computer Aid to donate 30 full PC kits including desktop, screen, keyboard and mouse, one connect device, one printer, one projector, one set of speakers, 30 WiFi dongles and 30 headphones to each of the schools.

Ludovic Gautier, head of programmes at Computer Aid International said the charity is hugely grateful for the donation.

He said: ‘The collaboration between Computer Aid and GoodHabitz makes sense because of the way that the education on one continent is allowing education on another. There is a natural synergy because of what we do. We’re trading education for education and it’s a win-win because everyone gets to learn.’

‘Over the last year, we have already installed equipment in 10 schools in Kenya and some of the schools previously had only a blackboard to deliver teaching with. We’re very grateful for the donation from GoodHabitz and are looking forward to changing more young peoples’ lives and giving them the opportunity for success in the workplace.’

The charity will also provide the schools with copyright-free learning content in Swahlili that can be used both on and off-line, using content from local creators wherever possible.

Kevin Lamers, global content marketing strategist at GoodHabitz said: ‘The idea came out of the GoodHabitz DoGood committee. A committee that is motivated to make the world a better place through learning. I believe we definitely succeeded with this collaboration. It’s such an honour to enable more than 800,000 hours of learning to those who need it the most.’

Since its launch in 1997, Computer Aid has already helped over 14.5 million people worldwide, enabling over 1 billion hours of learning.