Cisco Distribution Exec Joins SonicWall To Head Sales
DiLullo, who previously served as vice president of worldwide distribution at Cisco, is charged with growing the company&'s sales and bolstering SonicWall&'s channel efforts.
“The No. 1 thing we all have to focus on here is scalability and growth,” said Matthew Medeiros, president and CEO of SonicWall, Sunnyvale, Calif.
In particular, Medeiros is looking for DiLullo to expand SonicWall&'s international presence. The security vendor currently garners 30 percent of its sales internationally, while its peer group typically claims 45 percent to 50 percent, Medeiros said.
SonicWall is already growing via acquisitions and is moving in new product directions, having last month acquired data backup vendor Lasso Logic and the assets of enKoo, a remote-access technology vendor.
DiLullo also will help shape SonicWall&'s channel efforts.
“The channel strategy is sound. It&'s about how we educate partners and bifurcate them,” Medeiros said. “What John&'s going to do is bring expertise."
DiLullo also described the move as a strong opportunity for himself. “I&'m excited about joining the team,” he said. “As it unfolded to me, it really was an irresistible opportunity: They have the best management team, a culture of innovation and a commitment to the channel,” he said.
SonicWall has been running without a vice president of sales since the departure over a year ago of DiLullo&'s predecessor, Michael Stewart. Medeiros said he has been actively seeking someone to fill the role for the past six months.
As for Cisco, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Channels Keith Goodwin will assume DiLillo&'s role until a replacement is hired.
“The goal is to fill it quickly because it is such an important role,” Goodwin said, noting that distribution accounts for about 28 percent of Cisco&'s partner business. “It&'s large, but it&'s also strategic because distribution is the primary way we go to market to the commercial space, which is the fastest growing space for us right now” he said.