gateProtect has signed up a new value-added distributor for the Middle East and North Africa. Almasa Value Distribution, one of the region’s leading IT Distributors, is now serving virtually all Middle East region with the German IT security specialist’s solutions. The collaboration between the two companies kicks off with a joint stand – ZL-C5 in the Zabeel Hall – at GITEX 2011, the Middle East’s largest IT trade show. The event takes place this week at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Center.

Hamburg, Germany October 11, 2011 – The Middle Eastern market is undergoing a significant upturn, and this has led to a growing requirement among enterprises for IT security solutions to protect their systems. Against this backdrop, it has become a priority for distributors like Almasa, which addresses the entire region, to find suitable and qualified vendors to meet this need. As a member of the “IT Security made in Germany” initiative, gateProtect had an advantage right from the outset, as German IT security products have an excellent reputation in the Middle East for high quality. gateProtect and Almasa are making their first joint appearance at GITEX 2011 and further activities will take place before the end of the year. Alongside organizing extensive training courses for existing resellers, the two companies will be holding additional events in the region to recruit new partners.

Commenting on the partnership, Roger El Tawil, Managing Director of Almasa Value Distribution, says: “gateProtect’s solutions combine in a single system the advanced security and network functions that Middle Eastern companies need in order to protect their data and information. These functions include a firewall, bridging, VLAN, single sign-on, web and virus filters, real-time spam detection, HTTPS proxy and an intrusion prevention system. In view of the high quality of these security solutions – and of the growing demand for efficient and cost-effective security solutions in our region – we see huge potential here for gateProtect’s next-generation firewalls. The gateProtect appliances don’t require a significant amount of user training and are easy to install. These factors, along with the patented eGUI interface, give us a real competitive advantage.”

Dennis Monner, CEO of gateProtect, sees Almasa as the ideal complement to his company’s growth strategy in the Middle East and North Africa. He says: “Almasa has all the necessary expertise in IT security as well as in the region and its requirements. Almasa is an excellent starting point for our growth strategy there and an ideal port of call for resellers and their customers.”

This press release can be downloaded at http://www.gateprotect.com and http://www.phronesis.de