Former IBMer Dick Williams takes the helm at Webroot

August 19, 2009

2 Min Read

PRESS RELEASE

BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 19 /PRNewswire/ --Webroot, a leading Internet security provider for the consumer, enterprise and SMB markets, today announced the appointment of Dick Williams as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.

"We are very pleased to bring Dick on board as Webroot's CEO," said Eric W. Spivey, chairman of the Board of Directors at Webroot. "Dick has consistently delivered innovation and accelerated growth for companies that emerge as leaders in their category. His experience and strong leadership will be a tremendous asset to Webroot as we expand our position in the global consumer and enterprise security markets."

Williams has worked as CEO or chairman of several category defining companies funded by some of the most successful venture capital firms in the world. Most recently Williams was chairman of Hyperic, a leader in open source systems management software for today's large Web, SaaS, and cloud applications and infrastructures. Prior to that, Williams was CEO of Wily Technology, the leader in Web application management, which was acquired by CA (Computer Associates) in 2006. Earlier he was CEO of Illustra Information Technologies, a pioneer of object relational database technology. Dick then co-founded and served as chairman of Quokka Sports, an online immersive sports media company, which completed its initial public offering in 1999.

Williams' executive leadership experience began at IBM, where he spent 22 years in a variety of sales, marketing, product and business management roles, including vice president for the company's Data Systems and General Products divisions. He then served as president and CEO of Digital Research, which he turned around and later sold to Novell. At Novell Williams served as executive vice president of sales and support, and general manager of Novell's Digital Research Systems Group.

"The never-ending proliferation of malware makes it clear we as an industry have yet to solve the problem of cybercrime," said Williams. "This presents a tremendous opportunity for Webroot, given the company's history as a pioneer in antimalware and an innovator in cloud-based security. I'm excited to join this team of top-notch professionals as we aggressively innovate and distinguish Webroot as a leader in making the Internet a safe place for consumers and businesses everywhere."

Williams is an outside director of Fortify Software, 3VR Security and Chairman of Altor Networks.

ABOUT WEBROOT

Webroot provides industry-leading security solutions to consumers, enterprises and small to medium-sized businesses worldwide. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the company is privately held and backed by some of the industry's leading venture capital firms, including Technology Crossover Ventures, Accel Partners and Mayfield. Visit our Threat Blog at http://blog.webroot.com. For more information visit http://www.webroot.com or call 800.772.9383.

(C)2009 Webroot Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Webroot is a trademark or registered trademark of Webroot Software, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

SOURCE Webroot Software, Inc.

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