BALTIMORE, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SafeNet, Inc., a global leader in data protection, announced that Laurie Usewicz, Vice President of Channel Sales, has been named a Channel Chief by The Channel Company's CRN. This prestigious list of the most powerful leaders in the IT channel recognizes those executives directly responsible for driving channel sales and growth within their organization, while evangelizing the importance of the channel throughout the entire IT Industry.

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"The channel is a critical route to market for SafeNet and I am honored to be named a CRN Channel Chief for 2014," said Laurie Usewicz. "The success that SafeNet is having with its channel program is a direct result of SafeNet's commitment to the channel, our dedicated partners, and the strength and relevance of our industry-leading data protection solutions."

"SOS Security, A Forsythe Company is the premier provider of information security solutions. Customers choose SOS to intelligently manage risk, maintain compliance, accelerate, and protect their business from evolving threats. SafeNet's holistic approach to data security is a perfect fit for us. The company has invested a lot of resources into their channel program to make it easy for us to provide great solutions," said Kirk Jones, president, SOS Security A Forsythe Company. "Laurie has been instrumental to our partnership and to SafeNet's Channel Program in general. She is extremely professional and their program has only gotten better for our business under her management. I'm not surprised at all that she was named a Channel Chief."

With 15 years of channel experience, Laurie Usewicz is responsible for developing and executing SafeNet's channel sales strategy through the company's Distribution & Reseller Partner community globally. Since joining the company in early 2013, the SafeNet Channel team has doubled in size. Under her leadership, the team has been able to significantly increase SafeNet's investment in channel sales, marketing, and enablement activities, providing the SafeNet partner community with more exposure to new business opportunities than ever before. This investment has had a direct impact on the increase in incremental revenue brought to SafeNet from their partner community.

"We are pleased to highlight the many executives throughout the industry who work tirelessly to advance the standing of the channel community within their organizations. The CRN Channel Chief honorees lead, inspire and engage peers and serve as valuable advocates to help ensure the health and longevity of the channel within the IT industry.   We applaud their efforts and look forward to their continued success," said Robert Faletra, CEO, The Channel Company. 

This year's Channel Chiefs were selected by The Channel Company's CRN editorial team based on channel experience, program innovations, channel-driven revenue, and public support for the importance of IT channel sales. The 2014 Channel Chiefs list is featured in the February/March issue of CRN, and online at www.CRN.com.

About SafeNet
Founded in 1983, SafeNet, Inc. is one of the largest information security companies in the world, and is trusted to protect the most sensitive data for market-leading organizations around the globe. SafeNet's data-centric approach focuses on the protection of high-value information throughout its lifecycle, from the data center to the cloud. More than 25,000 customers across commercial enterprises and government agencies trust SafeNet to protect and control access to sensitive data, manage risk, ensure compliance, and secure virtual and cloud environments. Learn more about SafeNet on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and Google+.

SOURCE SafeNet, Inc.