SUNNYVALE, Calif. March 12, 2014 – Fortinet (NASDAQ:FTNT) – a world leader in high-performance network security – today announced that it has received two prestigious channel awards from influential channel publications CRN and E-Channel News. CRN placed Fortinet’s vice president, US channels and mid-enterprise sales, Bryan Wood, on its list of the 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, and E-Channel News recognized Fortinet as the Best Security Vendor at its 2013 Reseller Choice Awards, recently held in Toronto, Ontario.
50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs
CRN’s prestigious Channel Chiefs list showcases those executives directly responsible for driving channel sales and growth within their organization, while evangelizing the importance of the channel throughout the entire IT industry. The 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs list recognizes an elite subset of these channel executives based on their rank, channel savvy, ability to drive channel strategy within their own organization and external impact on the channel at large.
CRN Channel Chiefs were selected by the CRN editorial team based on channel experience, program innovations, channel-driven revenue and public support for the importance of IT channel sales.
“Every channel chief has influence, but there are a number of channel executives who are especially influential, either because the vendor they work for has a major channel presence, the channel organization has a lot of influence within the company, or the channel chief himself/herself carries great weight within the vendor executive ranks. Or some combination of all three,” said Rick Whiting, senior editor for CRN.
“This last year we’ve primarily focused on new partner recruitment, as well as developing our existing partner base,” said Bryan Wood, vice president, US Channels and Mid-Enterprise Sales for Fortinet. “As a result, our partner-led sales saw double-digit growth in 2013. This aggressive growth is closely tied to Fortinet’s dedication to proper enablement of our Partners. Certification and training is paramount to our mutual success and Fortinet has taken measures to provide flexible and affordable options for training.”
“We are pleased to highlight the many executives throughout the industry who work tirelessly to advance the standing of the channel community within their organizations. To be named to CRN’s list of the 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs is among the highest honors in the industry, as we carefully consider all of the key players and select those individuals who have demonstrated a consistent and unwavering commitment to this community. The honorees lead, inspire and engage peers and serve as valuable advocates to help ensure the health and longevity of the channel within the IT industry. We applaud their efforts and look forward to their continued success,” said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company.”
2013 Reseller Choice Awards
This year, readers of e-ChannelNews, ecnTV and ChannelBUZZ voted Fortinet as the Best Security Vendor. e-ChannelNews, ecnTV and ChannelBUZZ are divisions of TechnoPlanet Productions Inc., an international marketing and communications company that has covered the technology industry since 1993. ChannelNEXT is the event division of TechnoPlanet Productions Inc., and hosted the awards event on February 6th, 2014 in Toronto.
Every year, e-ChannelNews, ecnTV and ChannelBUZZ survey the entire Canadian reseller channel to vote for their favorite vendors and distributors. It is the largest channel survey conducted in Canada. This year, roughly 500 vendors were nominated in more than 80 categories, and more than 14,000 votes were cast. Voting started on November 1st 2013 and ended on January 17th, 2014.
“It’s great to be recognized by the channel community for the sustained development and execution of our partner program,” Wood continued. “We’re pleased with the growth of our channel and will continue to deliver services and strategies to help our Partners excel in their respective markets. Fortinet will persist in raising visibility of its standing within the channel through its aggressive incentive program, investment in joint marketing and innovative enablement strategies.”
