Dan Russell at Bitdefender Named a 2025 CRN® Channel Chief

The Channel Chiefs List Recognizes Leaders Who Drive Successful, Profitable Partner Programs

Bitdefender, a global cybersecurity leader, today announced that CRN^®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Dan Russell, Senior Director of North America Channels, to its prestigious CRN^® Channel Chiefs list for the second straight year. The designation also marks the 11^th consecutive year CRN has featured at least one Bitdefender channel executive on its annual Channel Chiefs roster.

The 2025 Channel Chiefs list recognizes IT channel leaders who help partners achieve success in their industries by delivering unparalleled levels of expertise, innovation, targeted solutions and program resources. Channel Chiefs are honored for their ability to build robust channel ecosystems and advance the health of the IT channel.

“This year’s honorees exemplify dedication, innovation, and leadership that supports solution provider success and fosters growth across the channel,” said Jennifer Follett, vice president, U.S. content, and executive editor, CRN, at The Channel Company. “Each of these exceptional leaders has made a lasting channel impact by championing partnerships and designing creative strategies that get results. They’ve set a high bar in the channel, and we’re thrilled to recognize their standout achievements.”

Russell joined Bitdefender in 2020. He currently leads Bitdefender’s North American Channel Program, overseeing the company’s channel partner relationships, training and technical support for partners and customers, and team building and management. His two decades of cybersecurity experience include leadership positions in technical sales, management and sales engineering.

Bitdefender’s Partner Advantage Network empowers the company’s more than 30,000 resellers, managed service providers (MSPs) and system integrators to deliver Bitdefender advanced cybersecurity products and services for threat prevention, protection, detection and response including endpoint detection and response (EDR), extended endpoint detection and response (XDR), and managed detection and response (MDR).

The program maximizes opportunities for partners, strengthens cybersecurity resilience for their customers, and makes Bitdefender among the easiest to work within the industry. Bitdefender’s 24/7 partner portal unlocks financial benefits with tiered pricing, pay-as-you-go billing plans and complimentary licenses, and offers a wealth of resources from sales and product assessments to e-learning and marketing self-service platforms.

"As the attack surface expands and data regulations grow more complex, our channel partners play a vital role in delivering advanced cybersecurity solutions that help organizations stop threats, reduce risks, and strengthen security posture across all environments," stated Russell. "Our Partner Advantage Network demonstrates Bitdefender’s commitment to the Channel by providing partners with innovative, easy-to-deploy technology, consistent support, and a mutually beneficial Partner Program that empower them to protect their customers.”

In addition to the Channel Chiefs designation, Bitdefender has been honored by CRN nine years running as a five-star vendor in CRN’s Partner Program Guide, joining an elite group of companies recognized for offering solution providers the best partnering elements in their channel programs.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company (TCC) is the global leader in channel growth for the world’s top technology brands. We accelerate success across strategic channels for tech vendors, solution providers, and end users with premier media brands, integrated marketing and event services, strategic consulting, and exclusive market and audience insights. TCC is a portfolio company of investment funds managed by EagleTree Capital, a New York City-based private equity firm. For more information, visit thechannelco.com.

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© 2025 The Channel Company, Inc. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Bitdefender

Bitdefender is a cybersecurity leader delivering best-in-class threat prevention, detection, and response solutions worldwide. Guardian over millions of consumers, enterprises, and government environments, Bitdefender is one of the industry’s most trusted experts for eliminating threats, protecting privacy, digital identity and data, and enabling cyber resilience. With deep investments in research and development, Bitdefender Labs discovers hundreds of new threats each minute and validates billions of threat queries daily. The company has pioneered breakthrough innovations in antimalware, IoT security, behavioral analytics, and artificial intelligence and its technology is licensed by more than 180 of the world’s most recognized technology brands. Founded in 2001, Bitdefender has customers in 170+ countries with offices around the world. For more information, visit https://www.bitdefender.com.

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