Unisys uses partnership to bring commercial, federal business together
By
Nick Wakeman
Unisys signs a reseller agreement with Computer Marketing Associates to help bring one of the former's commercial products into wider use in the federal space.
Unisys has signed a reseller agreement with Computer Marketing Associates Inc. to create another channel to sell the former's Stealth Security software product. But I think there's a bit more to it than that.
It is the only reseller agreement Unisys has signed in the federal space for that product. CMA has added the product to its NIH CIO-CS contract and NASA SEWP, both government-wide vehicles that all agencies can buy off of.
In addition to selling the Unisys product, CMA also can offer Unisys professional services.
The Stealth product uses something called micro-segmentation technology to provide data and network protection. It creates what Unisys calls “secure communities of interest” but the segments are cloaked from internal and external threats.
The product is part of a Unisys portfolio that includes identity access management, cybersercurity analytics, managed device and threat monitoring services. There also are professional services around security strategy, risk and incident response.
One of the things I find interesting about this is that Unisys is adding a reseller to bring its own commercial product into the government market. Unisys has been selling Stealth in the federal space and commercially since its inception.
And CMA isn’t just selling the product. The extra twist is the inclusion of the professional services.
To me, Unisys is acting very much like other commercial technology companies that leverage resellers in the federal space. But because Unisys also is a well-established as a services provider in the federal market, the teaming with CMA should broaden its footprint or at least open more territory.
Unisys wouldn’t be able to do this if it didn’t have a commercial product to build its partnership with CMA.
The company has always been rather unique to me because it has a strong commercial product component along with its government services business. And this is a good example of how it can marry its products and services by using a partnership.
I’m not sure how many others can follow this example, but it is one worth noting.