Saratoga spices up spam filtering

Adelaide-based software distributor, Saratoga Distribution, has signed up to carry anti-spam filtering from Chillisoft.

Saratoga managing director, Ivar Stanelis, said he approached the New Zealand software vendor last month following the launch of its Australian operations. The distributor's main focus will be on Chillisoft's Death2Spam email spam filtering tool. The software learns how to categorise and weed out potential spam by analysing word patterns and compiling its own scoring system. It will be available via electronic download as a managed service. Stanelis said Death2Spam was complementary to its existing range of security and utility lines.

"This covers a niche we needed to fill: we do antispam but it is based on black and white lists," he said. "This software is more organic."

Stanelis said it would target Death2Spam at resellers working in the SMB market (20-100 users).

Chillisoft CEO, Russell Olsen, said Saratoga's experience and name in the local market, coupled with its strong base of resellers, were key reasons for the partnership. Chillisoft would also continue to distribute the software locally and provide after-sales support.

"We both 'over service' our resellers. There aren't many in the market that offer that and can administer our software," he said. "It felt right: they had the right mix of resellers and are very active."

There were no plans to recruit more sub-distribution partners, Olsen said.

Stanelis expected at least 100 of its 3000 software resellers would take on the products.

"The margin structure is very strong. Unlike other vendors, who tend to take over when it comes time for renewals, this allows resellers to have an ongoing relationship with the customer," he said.

Saratoga and Chillisoft are conducting information seminars and training in Adelaide and Melbourne next month and will showcase at the CeBit exhibition in Sydney in May.