Sykora, who joins Bitdefender after seven years at Fortinet, brings nearly two decades of directly relevant industry experience to the mix. Prior to Fortinet he founded, built and sold his own systems integration company, so his channel experience includes both the vendor’s and the partner’s first-hand perspective.
Sykora’s appointment is part of Bitdefender’s ongoing investment in increasing channel efforts and advancing its channel program. The company is currently transitioning from a regional to a global structure, allowing for standardisation and consistency of structure, benefits, and governance worldwide, while still allowing for customisation to meet each region’s unique needs. This development falls in line with Bitdefender’s new deal registration program and enhanced marketing program, both released earlier this year.
“The investment that Bitdefender is making in the channel and to our partners is second to none,” shared Sykora. “I look forward to continuing Bitdefender’s award-winning work and to leading the next stage of progress for our channel program.”
According to Vincent Schiavo, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Enterprise Sales and Marketing at Bitdefender, “The move to a global structure comes during a period of intense growth for Bitdefender, and we are thrilled to have a luminary channel sales leader like Joe on the team to help build a strong foundation for a program that will support partners’ needs.”
Sykora will work from Bitdefender’s North American headquarters in Santa Clara, California, and will be responsible for relationships with the company’s more than 7,000 reseller partners across the globe.