Westcon-Comstor Sub-Saharan Africa, a leading global distributor, today announced it has been awarded the Check Point African Distributor of the Year for 2020. The announcement, made on Thursday, 25 March 2021, follows the recent news that Westcon also clinched the accolade as EMEA distributor of the year (2020) and is a testament to the global commitment and emphasis the distributor places on its relationship with the security software vendor.

Rakesh Parbhoo, CEO, Westcon-Comstor Sub-Saharan Africa.

Globally, businesses face a cyber pandemic, and Check Point recently issued a report stating that over 80% of enterprises found their existing security tools don’t work at all or have only limited functions in the cloud. Africa is not exempt from this security threat. Companies across the continent feel the reality of ransomware attacks, an increase in phishing and a renewed focus on hammering down cloud defences.

"Every year, cyber security makes it to the top 10 most critical technologies to keep on your watchlist, and every year we try and stress the importance of it to our channel and their end-users. In this past year, we have seen a rampant increase in cyber criminals as remote working expanded the attack surface, resulting in the need for security that is intrinsic, agile and extends beyond a single application," says Rakesh Parbhoo, CEO at Westcon-Comstor Sub-Saharan Africa. "A vendor who consistently manages to keep pace with industry changes is Check Point, and I am delighted that they have recognised the Westcon-Comstor team's ongoing efforts to position them as a leader in security by awarding us African distributor of the year."

The Check Point distributor of the year award is given to the distributor that consistently exceeds expectations in sales, channel enablement, marketing alignment, training and business growth in their region. Westcon-Comstor has, through a trying year for many, managed to forge ahead with its data-driven lead generation, sales enablement and support efforts to the channel. Not least of this includes its focus on software renewals and the promotion of its digital customer experience tools such as PartnerView.

Using PartnerView, its customers could proactively manage renewals, explore opportunities for upselling and cross-sell, automate renewal quotes, assign support and allocate and promote training – no matter where the partner was working. It is this focus on digital distribution and digital enablement that Parbhoo says has elevated the Westcon-Comstor value proposition outside of just a traditional distributor.

“I would like to take this time to thank the Check Point team for their commitment to our partnership, their support and trust in us over the last year. There is no doubt that 2020 was a challenging year for all industries across all geographies, which makes this award so special as it stands as testament and recognition of the tireless efforts of our team across sub-Saharan Africa, not just in sales, but in partner enablement and customer value generation and experience,” concludes Parbhoo.