Cyber security software supplier Bitdefender has appointed Cyber Security South Africa as its Country Partner.

The agreement sees Cyber Security South Africa (CSSA) responsible for the management of the entire Bitdefender product range in South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“The main reason why Bitdefender selected Cyber Security South Africa as its Country Partner in South Africa is because they demonstrated the capacity and solvency to develop the brand across the region over the coming years,” says Pablo Puig, Bitdefender regional sales director Africa, Italy, Malta and Portugal. “Becoming a Bitdefender Country Partner is not only a mere distribution agreement with some particular benefits, such as exclusivity.

“More importantly, it represents the appointment of a company which represents Bitdefender in a country, that is capable of growing the market and providing the high standard of support required by Bitdefender. Based on the discussions we had with Cyber Security South Africa during the past year, we believed that the company was the right partner to meet Bitdefender’s expectations in the region.”

Puig says that the benefits Bitdefender will derive from the relationship include strengthening the company’s position and visibility in Africa and being able to provide a comprehensive and experienced local support structure for Bitdefender’s customers.

Simon Campbell-Young, Partner at CS Africa Group Holdings, says that the cementing of the agreement follows a 12-year personal relationship with Bitdefender. “Bitdefender had expressed their intention to change their model to one that included the appointment of Country Partners who could guarantee a local presence in their areas of operation. In essence this means that Cyber Security South Africa now ‘owns’ and manages the brand locally, as opposed to simply distributing the products.”

Campbell-Young explains that the partnership entails growing the Bitdefender brand in terms of awareness, managing the distributors in the region, onboarding and off-boarding distributors, providing local technical skills, equipping a local sales team for the Bitdefender range, and communicating local pricing strategies.

“Cyber Security South Africa has huge reach across southern Africa, with offices in most of the regional capitals. This means that current and future Bitdefender customers will now have a local office to engage with for advice and technical support,” says Campbell-Young.