FireEye has begun a rapid expansion in Australia and New Zealand through the appointment of Phil Vasic regional director for the region.

One of the global leaders in cyber attack prevention, the company says Vasic joined from Clearswift, where he served as vice president, Asia Pacific and Japan, bringing 15 years of enterprise sales and sales management experience at companies Websense and Hewlett Packard.

Recent events have brought cyber security into the forefront within the ANZ region, with Vasic believing action is needed to prevent further attacks.

"Recent cyber attacks on leading Australian enterprises have highlighted the fact that distance can't shield our digital assets from global threats," he said.

“As a prosperous, connected nation, we are a prime target and need to take serious action to bolster our defences."

FireEye already counts a number of financial and governmental organisations among its customers across the region, and plans include the expansion of its regional headquarters in Sydney as well as establishing technical teams in Canberra and Melbourne.