Business continuity, Channel partner programs, CSPs, Storage, Security Staff Acquisition & Development

eFolder Hires AVG Veteran as Channel Chief

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Francois Daumard
Francois Daumard

eFolder has hired Francois Daumard as senior VP of worldwide sales -- essentially naming him the company's channel chief. Daumard is a well-known channel advocate who has held key roles at AVG Technologies, Microsoft, IBM and Apple. The move comes as eFolder seeks to compete even more aggressively in the business continuity and file sync services markets.

"There are lots of cloud companies out there," Daumard told ChannelE2E. "But eFolder is one of the most channel-focused cloud companies. As I considered my career options, I wanted to make sure I joined a company where the channel was not just a means to an end. The channel had to be a core part of the company's DNA." That's the case, he asserted, with eFolder.

This wasn't an overnight hire. Both eFolder and Daumard carefully researched each other to make sure the fit would be good for him and the company. "We've been in discussions for some time," Daumard said. "It has been a mutual assessment. We both did a lot of back-channel research. We took our time to make sure this is the right move."

Listening to Partners

Ted Hulsy

During the discussions, Daumard was impressed with eFolder's product pipeline and the company's commitment to its 3,000 channel partners -- many of whom are MSPs. Daumard will work in the company's San Francisco office, and plans to spend at least 70 percent of his time personally engaged with channel partners. "Your readers should know that I'll be in touch with them," he said. "My goal is one-to-one or one-to-a-few conversations to really hear from each partner."

Daumard's top priority is to understand why each partner chose eFolder. He'll also take a closer look at how partners profit from the eFolder relationship.

Daumard brings three core benefits to eFolder, according to VP of Marketing Ted Hulsy. They include:

  1. "Tremendous channel experience" based on his time with companies like Microsoft and Apple.
  2. "Great alignment" in terms of eFolder's channel and business values.
  3. "Leadership. He's been with us a week. He's a listener. He's observing how we're doing business today and finding gems for us to exploit."

Fierce Competition

Daumard joins eFolder during a key time for the company, partners and the overall business continuity market. Among the growing list of moves ChannelE2E has tracked in recent months...

Still, eFolder has its own loyal following -- particularly in the MSP segment. And distributor-oriented relationships for resellers also have been emerging in recent months. We'll be watching to see if Daumard doubles down on MSPs, distributors or resellers -- or all three...

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.