Former Kaspersky Exec Looks To Transform Carbonite To Channel-Focused Model

After helping launch Sophos fully into the channel and driving growth at Kaspersky Lab, Christopher Doggett said he's turning his sights to transforming Carbonite into a channel-focused sales organization.

Doggett joined the Boston-based backup and disaster recovery company Dec. 14 as senior vice president of global sales. He comes to the vendor from Kaspersky, where he most recently served as managing director and president for North America.

Doggett brings a strong channel background to his new role. Prior to his most recent role at Kaspersky, he served as senior vice president of corporate sales for North America as well as vice president of channel sales for North America. Before joining Kaspersky, whose North American operations are based in Woburn, Mass., Doggett served as vice president of global channels at Sophos, where he helped the security vendor transform its business model into its current 100 percent channel model. He has also held a variety of roles at consulting companies and solution providers.

[Related: Kaspersky North American President, Channel Chief Have Left Security Vendor]

Now, Doggett told CRN that he's turning that expertise toward Carbonite.

’I know a whole lot about how [channel partners] run their business and what makes a good partnership for a vendor,’ he said. ’I’ve got an opportunity to apply that here and make Carbonite’s channel partners [a priority.]’

Even though Carbonite isn’t in the security field, like many of Doggett’s previous employers, he said it ’isn’t that big of a jump,’ as many of the partners and customers are the same or similar.

Doggett said Carbonite is already in the process of transforming its business toward a channel-centric model that will ultimately be close to 100 percent channel. He said the channel is the highest growth area for Carbonite today, with around 7,000 partners already working with the vendor.

’We’re very much in that period of transition, going from a direct legacy vendor to a channel-direct model,’ Doggett said, comparing the shift to the one he oversaw successfully at Sophos. ’It’s a great place to be.’

He said partners can expect to see ’a lot of exciting announcements in 2016’ around the company’s channel, with plans being developed right now. One exciting change that the company has already made is its acquisition Wednesday of eVault, a business continuity and disaster recovery business it purchased from Seagate for $14 million.

’I think it provides an even greater opportunity for both our partners at Carbonite and partners of eVault to have a broader set of solutions they can offer to their customers,’ Doggett said of the acquisition. ’That will ultimately help us build a stronger business and meet a broader range of needs for our customers.’

Doggett was not the only executive leader to leave Kaspersky this month. His departure coincided with that of channel chief John Murdock to Centage, where he will be vice president of sales. Doggett said the dual moves were merely coincidental, and he doesn’t anticipate any downside for the company in the transition.

Kaspersky said that, in the interim, Chief Business Officer Garry Kondakov will supervise the management of North American business operations. Murdock has already been replaced by Leslie Bois, who will serve as vice president of channel sales for Kaspersky Lab North America.

’Kaspersky has a lot of great people and they have some strong managers are the company, so I have no doubt that the company can manage through this transition,’ Doggett said. ’I think it will go smoothly.’

PUBLISHED DEC. 16, 2015