AVG Expands U.S. Channel Program through Ingram Micro

AVG’s Award-Winning Anti-Virus and Internet Security Software Solutions Now Available to Ingram Micro Resellers

Security vendor AVG, developer of the AVG family of security software products, today announced it has entered into a distribution agreement with leading technology distributor Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM). Ingram Micro will now offer the full range of AVG security products to its resellers in the U.S. and Canada through direct licensing, retail and OEM channels.

With an installed base of more than 70 million active users, AVG is the world’s fourth largest anti-virus vendor by number of users, with North America comprising the largest share. The agreement with Ingram Micro is the latest milestone in the company’s expansion in the U.S. and Canada markets.

“We’re pleased to offer AVG’s award-winning family of security software solutions,” said Jodi Honore, vice president of vendor management, software at Ingram Micro. “AVG has distinguished itself as a channel-savvy partner both internationally and with its resellers here in the U.S. Its products are not only easy for channel partners to sell, install and support, but also, because the applications are lightweight, they provide our resellers’ customers reliable protection without bogging down PC system performance.”

According to a recent VARBusiness article, “2007 Alternative Vendors By Category,” AVG was named the number one leading alternative to traditional anti-virus and Internet security software market leaders such as McAfee and Symantec. More than half of resellers surveyed for the article preferred to offer alternative solutions such as AVG to their customers because of better performance.

“The VARBusiness article identifies performance as a key pain point for resellers, the same reason most of our resellers’ customers choose AVG over competing solutions,” said Rick Carlson, managing director of AVG’s North American operations. “AVG offers resellers’ customers low performance impact, whether it be for older, legacy PCs or for the latest PCs running memory-intensive software such as Windows Vista. Performance and low system impact were among the top reasons Ingram Micro chose to work with us. We look forward to teaming with Ingram Micro to further grow our presence in North America.”

The agreement covers the U.S. and Canada and complements AVG’s existing Reseller Merit Program. AVG will offer its current U.S. reseller partners the opportunity to continue to work directly with the company or through Ingram Micro with the same level of service and generous terms.

AVG to Grow its Channel Presence

AVG’s relationship with Ingram Micro helps expand the company’s presence in the reseller, OEM and retail channels.AVG launched its North American OEM efforts earlier this year and already works with one of the largest worldwide OEMs. PC OEMs choose AVG because the software provides reliable Internet security protection without slowing down system performance. AVG also makes it easy for OEMs to implement and maintain the software. For example, installation CDs come with all the applications preloaded. The OEM or their customer then uses the intelligent license key to activate the appropriate applications for a particular license. Unlike other security software solutions, the customer does not need to obtain a new master CD for every change or update.

AVG entered the North American retail channel earlier this year through a distribution deal with PC products distributor Navarre. Ingram Micro will also support AVG in its rapidly-growing retail efforts, as a secondary source. AVG products are available at leading retailers such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, NewEgg, Fry’s Electronics, Office Depot, OfficeMax and others.