Content by Michael Novinson

New Ordr CEO Jim Hyman Chases More Go-To-Market Partnerships

Michael Novinson  •  November 2, 2022

Ordr has tapped Jim Hyman, a former COO and Zscaler's first non-engineering hire, to fill the CEO job. Hyman is tasked with deepening the connected device vendor's bond with security stalwarts like Cisco and CrowdStrike and moving beyond opportunistic partnerships in favor of a concerted strategy.

Honeywell's James DeLuccia on Product Security vs IT Defense

Michael Novinson  •  October 31, 2022

Organizations expect the IT security landscape to be consistent - from builds and hardware to operating systems - but for product security, everything Honeywell makes is a snowflake with flexible, highly tailored design across many technologies, says Honeywell Product Security Chief James DeLuccia.

Microsoft, IBM, Splunk Dominate SIEM Gartner Magic Quadrant

Michael Novinson  •  October 28, 2022

A surging Microsoft has leapfrogged to the top of the SIEM Gartner Magic Quadrant, catapulting past security operations stalwarts IBM, Splunk, Securonix and Exabeam. Microsoft has climbed from being named a visionary by Gartner last year to crushing the SIEM market in execution ability this year.

Forescout CEO Wael Mohamed to Exit as Firm Lays Off Workers

Michael Novinson  •  October 27, 2022

Forescout will get its fourth CEO since September 2020 as the IoT security firm lays off an unspecified numbers of employees. Wael Mohamed will exit day-to-day management after just 19 months in the top role in a tenure punctuated by the acquisitions of CyberMDX and Cysiv.

Versa Networks Raises $120M to Boost Cloud, Campus Products

Michael Novinson  •  October 27, 2022

Versa Networks has completed a pre-IPO funding round to build out a cloud security portfolio and bring zero trust functionality to campus and branch settings. The SASE vendor says the $120 million Series E round will allow the company to build or buy technology around SSPM, CSPM and CWPP.

Cybereason Lays Off Another 200 Workers Amid Report of Sale

Michael Novinson  •  October 26, 2022

Cybereason has carried out another round of layoffs, axing 200 workers just days after a report that the endpoint security vendor is pursuing a sale. The company plans to reduce its staff by 17% - or 200 employees - less than five months after laying off 10% of its workforce.

Snyk Lays Off 198 Staffers Including Cloud Defense Leader

Michael Novinson  •  October 24, 2022

Snyk has made another round of layoffs, axing 14% of its workforce including cloud security leader Aner Mazur and top legal officer Karyn Smith. The company will reduce its more than 1,400-person staff by 198 employees less than four months after laying off 30 people.

Why Cybereason Went From IPO Candidate to Seeking a Buyer

Michael Novinson  •  October 24, 2022

Cybereason has abandoned its IPO plans altogether and hired JPMorgan Chase to find a buyer, The Information reported Friday. Why is Cybereason no longer poised to make it to the IPO Promised Land? An unfavorable competitive environment and a muddled go-to-market strategy provide some clues.

Why Palo Alto Networks Now Wants Cider Security, Not Apiiro

Michael Novinson  •  October 21, 2022

Palo Alto Networks has scaled back its M&A ambitions, walking away from a $600 million deal for Apiiro in favor of buying Cider Security for $200 million. Palo Alto says it abandoned the negotiations over irreconcilable differences in the valuation of Apiiro's code risk platform business.

FIDO Panel: Remember, Passwordless Is All About Usability

Michael Novinson  •  October 20, 2022

Organizations can improve security with modern authentication protocols, but the big message to the marketplace is that FIDO Passkeys give customers more convenience and deliver a consistent user experience, according to panelists on the final day of FIDO Alliance's Authenticate 2022 Conference.

DigiCert Snags Longtime Zscaler Executive Amit Sinha as CEO

Michael Novinson  •  October 19, 2022

Certificate heavyweight DigiCert has landed Zscaler second-in-command Amit Sinha as its new leader and tasked him with boosting trust around connected device and user authentication. DigiCert brought in Sinha following a 12-year stint at Zscaler, where he became company president and a board member.

Experts: One-Time Passwords Leave Huge Security Holes in MFA

Michael Novinson  •  October 19, 2022

Multifactor authentication needs to move away from one-time passwords sent via text message and embrace modern standards that prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Plus, excessive identity challenges online lead to 20% of e-commerce transactions being abandoned, say experts at Authenticate 2022.

Authenticate 2022: Experts Share Path to Passwordless Future

Michael Novinson  •  October 18, 2022

Multifactor authentication was supposed to be the standard, but the sharp rise in highly successful MFA bypass attacks shows the industry needs to go further in verifying identities. Keynote speakers at Authenticate 2022 said the future of passwordless technology could answer this latest threat.

US CISA Official: 'Forcefully Nudge' Users to Adopt MFA

Michael Novinson  •  October 18, 2022

Multifactor authentication should be the default, not an option, says U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly. She told an industry conference that vendors should "forcefully nudge" users into MFA and offer a more complete feature set for users who want it.

ForgeRock, Ping, IBM, Okta Top KuppingerCole CIAM Tech Eval

Michael Novinson  •  October 14, 2022

Perennial leaders ForgeRock, Ping Identity and IBM, along with a surging Okta, set themselves apart from the pack of CIAM vendors in the latest report by KuppingerCole analysts. Ping Identity leapfrogged ForgeRock to capture the gold in product leadership, and IBM once again took the bronze.