Planar Announces Expansion of U.S. Government Division

The company adds two business development professionals and amplifies product security program, bolstering support for U.S. government market

PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Planar, a global leader in visualization technology, today announced the addition of Sandra Kanardy and Kit Shugrue to the company’s U.S. government division.

The company is also expanding Planar’s product security program to further adapt products and processes to best meet the product security needs of customers. Product security remains an ongoing and increasingly important focus for Planar to support customers in U.S. government and the various commercial markets in which the company supplies display solutions.

“We are absolutely thrilled to enhance our U.S. government division with two more industry experts and an expanded product security program,” said Alberto Reyes, director of U.S. government at Planar. “The U.S. government is a key market for Planar and I trust that these additions will take the support we offer to our customers to new heights. Our new team members and a comprehensive product security program enable us to continue showing U.S. government agencies what sets Planar, our service and extensive selection of display solutions apart from others in the market today.”

Planar is amplifying its product security program by strengthening the company’s use of external cybersecurity design and monitoring experts, as well as driving product security design considerations earlier in the development lifecycle to reduce vulnerabilities for customers. The company is also establishing new processes for safely reporting security concerns and receiving software updates, in addition to more clearly articulating product security design philosophy and threat mitigation procedures.

The company welcomes Sandra Kanardy to support state, local and education (SLED) business development for the company’s U.S. government team. She brings an extensive background in the technology industry, including various roles in business management and more than 12 years of experience tailoring solutions for SLED clients in AV, unified communications, managed services, consulting, security, cloud and infrastructure. Kanardy most recently served as advanced technology executive for Zones, LLC, prior to account management positions at Xerox and CDW-G. In her new role, Kanardy will help Planar SLED customers identify the best solutions for their needs, leveraging the company’s wide-ranging portfolio of cutting-edge display technologies and her dedication to exceeding client expectations.

Kit Shugrue joins Planar as an industry veteran with over two decades of experience in system integration, design and implementation for markets ranging from AV and broadcast to industrial and retail. He will support Planar’s government business development for the West Coast. Prior to joining Planar, Shugrue served as a market manager for AVI-SPL’s control room group and was recognized as Rookie of the Year during his first year. He also worked at Jupiter Systems for 15 years, where he helped bring the organization to the forefront of the federal and control room market. Additionally, Shugrue’s background includes positions at Microfield Graphics, Crimson Tech, Intellisys, Hoffman Media Systems and NEC Technologies.

For more information about Planar’s U.S. government solutions and programs, visit www.planar.com/USGovernment or www.planar.com/Security.

About Planar

Planar is a global leader in visualization technology, delivering best-in-class image performance for the world’s most demanding environments. From broadcasters and government agencies to corporations, sporting venues and educational facilities, the world’s leading organizations use Planar’s broad selection of display solutions in applications ranging from digital signage and simulation to large scale events and large-scale visualization. Planar is the global market leader for LED video displays, narrow pixel pitch LED and the indoor LED video wall market (Futuresource 2020). Founded in 1983, Planar is headquartered in Oregon, USA with offices and manufacturing facilities in Oregon, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.planar.com.