SafeNet, a Baltimore-based company focused on encryption and authentication, has appointed cloud veteran Dave Hansen as the company's new president and chief executive officer.
"I think we are underrepresented in the market," Hansen said of SafeNet during an interview with CRN following his appointment. "There is a lack of awareness about us. We started out being highly focused on the government sector, which is a critical market for us. But, I do think that in the commercial space, we have not built enough awareness and done enough marketing, including marketing to our channel partners."
Hansen intends to work aggressively towards increasing channel relationships and driving more incremental business to the channel. "I'm a strong believer in the channel, but I also recognize that it takes significant investment and commitment," he said.
[Related: SafeNet Rolls Out Authentication Service For Enterprise Security Providers]
"The hot topics in the market today are focused around security, data protection and even software licensing models from the cloud," he continued. "Our solutions totally map to those business requirements, and we intend to build upon that in order to accelerate cloud adoption. People look at security as an obstacle to the cloud, whereas I think it's an enabler."
SafeNet offers a range of products in the authentication and encryption space, as well as a variety of professional services around these technologies and related management.
Hansen joins the company from BMC Software, where he most recently served as vice president and general manager following the acquisition of Numara Software, which specializes in service, asset and mobile device management. Hansen served as CEO at Numara, and helped to guide the company's cloud strategy. Previous experience includes more than nine years at CA Technologies, where he led the development and execution of CA's enterprise solutions and cloud strategy, focused on cloud, on-premise solutions and hybrid environments. He also led the company's security business unit and had previously served as its chief information officer.
Hansen replaces Chris Fedde, who had been with SafeNet since 2001.
PUBLISHED DEC. 11, 2012
