A brand's reseller recommends that brand; that is not bad faith, it is the business model. How to see the reseller margin and whose name the licence is in when reading a quote.
When you receive a quote for a security product it looks as if there are two parties at the table: you and the technical-service company. In fact there is a third: the product's manufacturer. If the company writing the quote is that manufacturer's reseller, part of the recommendation comes from reseller targets rather than your needs. That is not an accusation; reselling is a legitimate and common business model. But it is a fact you need to know while reading the quote.
What reselling promises and what it cannot
A reseller knows the product, supplies the licence quickly and has a direct support channel to the manufacturer. These are real advantages. What it cannot promise is an impartial comparison: recommending a competitor of the product it resells means cutting its own income. The answer to "which is more suitable?" is usually known before the question is asked.
What vendor-neutral means
A vendor-neutral company earns from installation and management, not licence sales. Its recommendation is based on device count, server types, existing licences and budget; if your current licence is sufficient it says "keep it", because it gains nothing from a change. The reasoning must be in writing: why this product, which alternatives were considered, by what criteria they were dropped.
Five places to look in a quote
- Whose name is the licence in? It must be registered to your company and your e-mail address. A licence on the reseller's account leaves with the reseller.
- Who holds the admin account? The main administrator account of the central console must be yours; the service company works with a secondary account.
- Is the renewal price stated? A first-year discount can hide the second-year price. Ask for the three-year total cost.
- Was the existing licence evaluated? If the quote does not explain why your current product is insufficient, it was not evaluated.
- Are service and product separate lines? Installation, policies, monitoring and reporting must be priced apart from the licence; otherwise you cannot tell what you are paying for.
One more question for firewalls
In a firewall the rules matter more than the product. The quote must state that the rule list and a configuration backup will be handed to you. If it does not, the device is yours but the knowledge is the company's, and changing companies means reinstalling.
The right question
Not "which brand?" but "what was this recommendation based on, and why did you drop the competing product?" The written answer shows whether the company is a reseller or an adviser. SMB Teknoloji is not a reseller of any security manufacturer; in antivirus and firewall installations the product is chosen with written reasoning and licences are purchased in the customer's name.