ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, today announced three strategic executive hires in the U.S. intended to advance its go-to-market strategy which builds on the company's comprehensive partner program and award-winning cloud security products. The new executive team includes:Rick Carlson, president of U.S. Operations; Keith Lubner, VP of Channels; and Sydney Curtis, VP of Marketing.Carlson, Lubner and Curtis bring more than 70 years of combined experience developing and leading successful channel organizations at companies such as AVG, VERITAS Software and EarthLink. Effective immediately, Panda Security USA's new headquarters are located in Orlando, Fla., with a regional office remaining in Glendale, Calif.

"Panda's 20 year history of innovation and first mover advantage in cloud security provide a great foundation to build on North American market share and leapfrog the competition," said Rick Carlson, president, Panda Security USA. "Our new team will be laser-focused on expanding Panda's partner program to empower resellers to make more margin on their sales efforts while providing their SMB customers with the best protection on the market."

Channel Milestones and 2010 Outlook

Panda's strengthened management team will focus primarily on creating and implementing best practices across all U.S. operations and empowering channel partners to create new revenue streams that take advantage of the company's cloud security services. Since announcing a 100 percent channel strategy in August 2008, Panda Security has added approximately 200 new partners, bringing the total number of active resellers in the U.S. to 700. The company expects to grow this number to at least 1,200 in 2010. Panda's recently enhanced channel program guarantees partners with higher margins; unmatched deal and incumbency protection; robust training programs; as well as a technology advantage over the competition.

"IT-Sentry has been a partner of Panda Security since 2003. Since that time, the company has been at the forefront of innovation through several 'firsts' such as daily updates, TruPrevent, collective intelligence and now cloud protection," said Dr. Hugo J. Uyttenhove, founder of IT-SENTRY, Inc. "As a partner we have had to grow with Panda and a channel that is even more selective and aware of the needs of consumers and businesses alike. With Panda's new management team we have been able to provide security and stability in the channel with solid profit-sharing and great support. From solutions for a single PC to large networks, Panda enables the channel to always bring the right level of protection to the user."

The Panda Partner Program Advantage

Panda Security's partner program features the industry's most comprehensive benefits for value added resellers (VARs) and managed service providers (MSPs). Partners receive enhanced deal registration, which constitutes a 10 percent margin incentive for partners who bring in new sales leads, regardless of whether or not they actually close a deal with a new customer. They also benefit from renewal protection that gives resellers up to 30 percent commissions when licenses or service agreements renew. In addition, the program is frequently enhanced with new marketing and training support through its partner portal, which includes promotions, rebates, and customizable marketing materials designed to stimulate sales and ensure partner profitability.

"Our partnership with Panda Security to date has been a win-win," said Teddy Gabbart, CEO, Scholastic Communications, a Panda Security Elite Partner. "Panda has supported our business goals by offering the industry's most rewarding commission structure, a great deal protection program, and personalized support to help our sales and marketing efforts. They do all of this while continuing to develop their cloud-based security services so we can protect our clients effectively and efficiently with the latest technology on the market."

Cloud Computing Leadership

Panda is the leading provider of cloud-based security software solutions and managed services for small and medium size businesses (SMBs). These companies and their solutions providers benefit from two core products: Panda Cloud Protection, a fully hosted and hassle-free managed security service that offers complete endpoint protection without the need to invest in any IT infrastructure; and Panda Security for Business, Panda's flagship anti-malware software solution for endpoints and file servers. Both solutions leverage the company's proven cloud-scanning system, which provides real-time protection against the newest and most dangerous malware.

Background on Recent Executive Hires

Rick Carlson oversees the operational activities and strategic direction in one of the company's fastest growing markets as the new president of Panda Security USA. Carlson comes to Panda Security from AVG Technologies, where he served as managing director of North American operations, leading the AVG product line as well expanding the company's consumer, SMB and OEM sales efforts in the U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining AVG, Carlson was CEO of anti-spyware company Aluria Software, which was acquired by EarthLink under his leadership.

Keith Lubner joins Panda Security as the VP of Channels with over 20 years of experience in building and running channel programs for technology companies that offer products and services to SMBs. These include companies such as QlikTech, AVG Technologies, Datawatch, Relavis, and Oracle. A well-recognized thought leader in the channel industry, Lubner is a frequent contributor to Microsoft's Redmond Channel Partner Magazine.

Sydney Curtis brings over 20 years of experience in directing channel-focused marketing programs for software and services providers including Seagate Software, HBO and Company, VERITAS, Columbia Data Products, and most recently, AVG Technologies. She has an outstanding track record of success in developing and executing channel strategies that grow quickly and generate revenue through creative demand generation and targeted recruitment efforts.

Panda Security USA Headquarters Move to Orlando

Previously based in Glendale, Calif., Panda Security USA's new headquarters are now located at 423 S. Keller Road, Suite 350 Orlando, FL 32810. All marketing, channel development and sales will be directed by the new management team from Orlando. U.S. malware research and customer service will continue to be managed from the Glendale office.

VARs and MSPs interested in learning more about Panda's partner program should call 407-215-3020 or visit: http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/partners/

About Panda Security

Founded in 1990, Panda Security is the world's leading provider of cloud-based security solutions with products available in more than 23 languages and millions of users located in 195 countries around the world. Panda Security was the first IT security company to harness the power of cloud computing with its Collective Intelligence technology. This innovative security model can automatically analyze and classify thousands of new malware samples per day, guaranteeing corporate customers and home users the most effective protection against Internet threats with minimum impact on PC performance. Panda Security has 56 offices throughout the globe with U.S. headquarters in Florida and European headquarters in Spain.

Panda Security collaborates with Special Olympics, WWF and Invest for Children as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility policy. For more information, visit http://www.pandasecurity.com/