McAfee Taps Software Spectrum Exec To Head Worldwide Channels

King, whose resume also includes stints at Lotus Development, Sterling Software and IBM, will be responsible for sales operations and channel development at Sunnyvale, Calif.-based McAfee. He'll report to Kevin Weiss, former vice president of worldwide sales, who became president of McAfee in March.

King's hiring reflects McAfee's desire to add a senior level executive with a strong sales and channel background, Weiss said. "We wanted someone who understood the strengths and weaknesses of our distribution model," Weiss said.

In addition to knowing how to assimilate multiple products from multiple vendors in a geographically distributed model, King knows how to operate in an environment of razor thin margins, according to Weiss. "His mindset will be from a reseller perspective, and that will be a healthy thing," he said.

The addition of King will enable McAfee's leadership to continue its commitment to channel partners, Weiss added. "There's a lot we can learn from our channel, and a lot we can do for our channel as well," said Weiss. Tempe, Ariz.-based retailer Insight Enterprises in July agreed to purchase Plano, Texas-based Software Spectrum for some $287 million in cash.