Bashairah back in the groove at Fortinet ME

Bashar Bashaireh has rejoined Fortinet, taking on the regional director post that he held prior to leaving for a role at the Jordanian Ministry of ICT in September 2008.

Now that he is back in charge of the UTM vendor's regional operations, his task will be to drive Fortinet's "aggressive growth plans" through the sales management of an expanded local team and its channel network.

It is also expected that he will look to reinforce the company's position in the enterprise, government and service providers markets, where it claims to have gained traction in the past year.

"I'm very pleased to be back at Fortinet, a vendor which I believe has a unique position in the network security market and has been able to meet the growing needs of the region, from the SMB to the enterprise," stated Bashaireh.

"I am convinced that my market knowledge will help accelerate Fortinet's business success in the region and I look forward to this exciting phase in the growth of the company," he added.

Bashaireh brings more than 18 years of market experience to the role. Prior to his spell at the Jordanian Ministry of ICT, where he served as Secretary General, he worked for 3Com and Cyber Guard.

Fortinet insists its appetite for the Middle East market is reflected in the investments it has made in its regional business during the past year. It expanded its offices in Dubai and Riyadh, opened a Cairo-based facility to address Egypt, Libya and Levant, and doubled the number of reseller-focused sales and support staff.