ESET splits with long-time Aussie distie

Security software vendor ESET has parted ways with long-term distributor Antivirus Australia after a falling out over ESET's progression in the local market.

Antivirus Australia began distributing ESET products in 2002 in an effort to boost ESET's market share in Australia.

But after 14 years, ESET terminated the venture after deciding Antivirus Australia lacked the capacity to increase the security vendor's local market share to desired levels, ESET APAC chief operating officer Lukas Raska told CRN.

ESET currently holds less than 5 percent market share in Australia, said Raska. It is targetting a similar market share to the footprint it has in New Zealand, which is around 22 percent.

The distributor was given six months' notice that the partnership would end, Raska explained. He claimed that ESET was Antivirus Australia's only client at the time.

ESET claims the distributor then withheld reseller and customer details from the software vendor.

Florin Vasille, ESET's Australian managing director, sent the following statement to CRN: "We tried our best to let all resellers know of this change but unfortunately Antivirus Australia never shared any reseller information with us so it is possible we did not cover 100 percent of the reseller channel."

CRN also understands the distributor changed the domain of ESET's Australian website to an unrelated website for children's clothes. The site has since been taken down.

Antivirus Australia has even adapted the home page of its own website to display a negative message about ESET's product and promote its new partner, security software vendor eScan. 

Antivirus Australia declined to comment when contacted by CRN.

ESET has since decided to self-distribute its products in Australia. It recently signed Microbe as a platinum partner as part of its plan to target both consumer and business markets.

At the CRN Fast50 awards last year, ESET channel manager Gerard Nunez explained how the security vendor hoped to grow its Australian market share by beefing up partner margins and introducing a renewal protection scheme.