JOSEPH GABRIEL LAGONSIN

News Editor

Hammer Distribution has signed a UK distribution partnership with Stormshield, becoming a distributor for the vendor’s next-generation firewall range.

The agreement gives Hammer access to Stormshield’s hardware and virtual firewall products, which are available immediately to its reseller and systems integrator network.

Stormshield is a European cybersecurity supplier whose network security products are aimed at organisations with strict security and data protection requirements. Its firewall range holds European and defence-related certifications including EU Restricted, NATO Restricted and ANSSI.

The deal adds another cybersecurity vendor to Hammer’s portfolio as distributors look to offer partners a broader mix of security products amid continued demand for network protection and data sovereignty. It also gives Stormshield wider access to UK channel partners through a distributor with an established base in storage, servers and security.

Channel focus

The partnership is intended to support resellers and systems integrators seeking an alternative to established US firewall suppliers. Hammer plans to provide technical pre-sales support, proof-of-concept assistance and training around the Stormshield range.

The products are designed for a wide range of environments, from small branch sites to larger operational technology settings. That positions the partnership to target customers across both IT and industrial infrastructure projects, where network segmentation and control remain core buying requirements.

Hammer has operated in the technology distribution market for more than 30 years. The company focuses on storage, server and security products, and works with vendors and channel partners on tailored deployments.

For Stormshield, the tie-up strengthens its route to market in the region through a specialist distributor with technical reach into the reseller channel. The French vendor sells to commercial organisations as well as government and defence customers that need protection for critical infrastructure, sensitive data and operational systems.

Dominic Ryles of Hammer Distribution described the agreement as part of a wider push to expand the company’s security offering for partners facing more complex customer requirements.

“We are incredibly proud to welcome Stormshield to the Hammer family,” said Dominic Ryles at Hammer Distribution. “In an era of evolving digital warfare, our partners need security solutions they can trust implicitly. Stormshield’s pedigree offers a level of assurance and European engineering excellence that is rare in the market. This partnership is not just about expanding our product line; it’s about providing our resellers with a competitive edge in the high-growth cybersecurity sector.”

Regional growth

The agreement is intended to help Stormshield expand through the channel by working with a distributor that can support partner recruitment and technical engagement. The company presented the deal as a route to broader market coverage for its firewall range.

“We are delighted to partner with Hammer Distribution,” said Bertrand Trastour, head of global sales at Stormshield. “Hammer’s reputation for deep technical expertise and their proactive approach to channel development makes them the perfect partner to accelerate Stormshield’s growth in the region. Together, we are committed to empowering the channel to solve the most complex security challenges facing businesses today.”

The announcement reflects a broader trend in the security market as European vendors sharpen their position around regional certification, sovereignty and transparency at a time when buyers are paying closer attention to where security products are developed and governed. For channel partners, that can create a clearer sales proposition in accounts where procurement teams want alternatives aligned with European standards and regulatory expectations.

Stormshield’s technologies are used by companies, government institutions and defence organisations seeking to secure critical infrastructure, sensitive data and operational environments.

When Anthropic unveiled Claude Mythos in April, the reaction across the cybersecurity industry was immediate. Boards demanded answers, tech leaders called urgent meetings, and a familiar narrative began to take hold: AI is changing the rules of cybersecurity.

But while this is partly true, it misses the real point. AI hasn’t changed the rules. It has simply sped up the game and exposed that the rules were already broken.

For years, cybersecurity operated on a relatively stable assumption. If attackers discovered a vulnerability, it would take time to exploit it, and defenders would have a window to respond. That window was never perfect, but it made the system workable.

That time is now gone. In 2018, the average time between discovering a vulnerability and exploiting it was measured in years. Today, it is measured in hours, so this isn’t a gradual shift, it’s a fundamental change in how cyber risk behaves.

What tools like Mythos show is not a leap in technical capability, but a breakthrough in execution. Vulnerabilities that have existed for decades can now be found and exploited almost instantly. The bottleneck is no longer discovery. It is deciding what to fix and doing it fast enough.

So, this is where the real challenge begins.

On the defensive side, organisations are increasingly overwhelmed. AI systems can surface huge volumes of vulnerabilities, but they are far less effective at identifying which ones are actually exploitable. Security teams are left with growing backlogs, trying to prioritise risk while the cost of delay continues to rise.

Attackers, meanwhile, face a much simpler problem. They do not need to fix anything. They only need one viable path. AI gives them the ability to test multiple options and select the most effective route at machine speed.

This imbalance sits at the heart of the issue.

It is also being reinforced by a deeper structural problem. Many organisations still manage cybersecurity as if time is on their side. Annual penetration tests, slow patch cycles and retrospective reporting are all built on the assumption that vulnerabilities can be addressed before they are exploited.

That assumption no longer holds, especially as at the same time, the attack surface continues to expand. Every new integration, cloud service or legacy system creates another potential entry point. In many cases, the greatest risks do not come from well-tested core systems, but from overlooked suppliers or outdated components that no one wants to touch.

This is why the Mythos moment is about more than software flaws. It is about digital exposure. Most organisations do not fully understand what is exposed or how it could be exploited.

Therefore, the response cannot be to simply do more of the same, and this isn’t a problem that simply hiring more analyst can solve. The scale and speed of modern threats have already outgrown what humans can handle alone.

What is needed is a shift in approach, from reacting to incidents to continuously validating risk.

That shift depends on three things: visibility, validation and speed. Organisations need to understand what is exposed, prove what is actually exploitable, and act before attackers do.

But even that is not enough on its own.

We are now entering a phase where cybersecurity becomes an AI versus AI problem. Attackers are already using automated systems to scan, test and exploit vulnerabilities at scale. Defenders will have to respond in kind, using AI to continuously probe their own systems, simulate attacks and prioritise real risk.

The difference will come down to how effectively that technology is directed. AI can generate possibilities at scale. It can surface thousands of potential weaknesses. But it still lacks context. It cannot reliably decide what matters most, or what a real attacker would do next, and that responsibility still sits with humans.

Which means the real battleground in cybersecurity is shifting. It is no longer about who can find vulnerabilities first. It is about who can make better decisions, faster.

AI will continue to uncover weaknesses. That is inevitable. The question is who can turn that information into action before it is exploited.

Because cybersecurity is no longer just a technical challenge, it is a race, and right now, most organisations are running behind.

The Midcounties Co-Operative in Dorchester, near Wallingford, has been a much-valued food shop in the High Street of the village.

But the company has confirmed it will be closing the store and selling the building in the near future, after it became ‘financially unsustainable’ to continue trading.

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No other store location could be found and the village is going to be left without a supermarket.

A spokesperson for Midcounties Co-Operative said: “As a Co-operative Society owned by our members, we regularly review our estate to ensure our stores are profitable and provide an essential purpose within the communities they serve.

The Midcounties Co-Operative in Dorchester High Street will close (Image: Google)

“As part of this process, and after careful consideration, the society has made the difficult decision to close our Dorchester-on-Thames store.

“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of all of our colleagues, the store has been financially unsustainable for some time and there is no viable opportunity to improve the financial position of the store.

“We have also explored other options in the local area to potentially relocate but regrettably have been unable to secure any other suitable location on this occasion.

“Our first priority is to offer our support to all colleagues during what we recognise will be a difficult time.

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“We have now entered a formal consultation period with those colleagues affected and, where possible, will look to identify suitable alternative roles within our wider society.

 “At this time, the store remains open for trading as usual and we will keep colleagues and the wider community informed about potential timelines for the closure.

“We look forward to continuing to welcome our members and customers at our food stores across the region, including our Berinsfield food store, just over one mile away.” 

The Midcounties Co-operative in Dorchester High Street will close (Image: Google)

A statement from Dorchester Parish Council made shortly after the announcement said: “This clearly raises a number of questions for us as a community, which values its shop.

“In response to this news, we can let you know that the parish council is already discussing behind the scenes with parties’ ways of keeping a store on site but at this stage it is not possible to share more details on this.”

The council said one option is registering the shop as an asset of community value, which will be discussed at the next parish council meeting, and further information will be shared when possible.

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Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley and Thame (Lib Dem) said he’s asked Co-op about the closure (Image: Freddie van Mierlo)

Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley and Thame (Liberal Democrat), said: “I’ve written to the co-op to ask why they plan to close this vital shop for the community.

“Residents have shared with me their concerns who are worried about the impact this will have on the village.”

No closure date for the shop has yet been announced.