AVG Technologies sharpens physical presence in SA

One of the world`s more popular anti-virus and Internet protection software vendors, AVG Technologies, is fortifying its position in the South African and African markets.

The already successful brand boasts over 1.6 million South Africans downloading its products in the region.

AVG is now adding even more emphasis on this important market by establishing a new retail channel - for the first time making its products available on the shelf for retailers. The company will also put more focus on its existing channel, targeting small businesses as well as its OEM partnerships.

According to Peter Baxter, vice-president of Business Development at AVG, the South African and African markets are obvious destinations for expansion, based on the considerable growth of demand for its solutions in the market. "We are very keen to build and capitalise on our investment in this important region. We are very confident that our increase in focus will grow our market share accordingly," he notes.

"With over 50 000 anti-virus retail boxed products sold every month in South Africa alone, our market share will continue to grow," Baxter continues.

The company`s technologies span everything from freeware protection for individual home users, to solutions for small to medium companies and enterprise-class Internet security for businesses. However, Baxter says the initial focus will fall on the consumer and small business sectors.

"The majority of the South African and African user base is in these sectors; we are working with distributors that are putting AVG on the shelves of popular retailers while also developing a reseller channel through solution providers, which address the SME market," he explains.

The vendor`s primary activities from its local operation will include marketing and market development, and the provision of support and training for reseller partners; Baxter says a reseller programme is to be launched in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, with the nature of security such that regular signature files must be downloaded from the Internet, a local mirror of its international sites will also be established, allowing South African users to receive their updates conveniently and at low cost.

With this foothold established, the company intends to grow its market share in the business sector with its AVG Internet Security for Servers and Network Editions.

The AVG value proposition is a simple one, continues Baxter. "Anti-virus and Internet security software should be completely unobtrusive and have as low an impact on the user experience as possible. It is on this principle that our software is designed; it is tough on threats but easy on the user."

That`s something he believes more local users will be discovering in the near future.