By Ran Shahor, CEO and Holistic Cyber Co-Founder.
As we begin what I know will be a year of tremendous growth and change for us at Holistic Cyber, now is an opportune moment for me to reflect on the challenges and triumphs that shaped our past year as leaders in cyber security, and to make some predictions about what lies ahead.
The Expanding Global Conflict
As we forecasted last year at this time, cyber attacks and the increasingly pervasive threats of malicious actors has become a reality across the digital realm. The relentless growth of nation-state grade threats has forced organizations of all sizes to focus on cybersecurity preparedness. Geopolitical tensions continue to fuel sophisticated attacks. When we discussed these issues as real possibilities in the past number of years, we were mostly alone in sounding this alarm. Many in the industry didn’t understand how private enterprises could be pulled into geopolitical cybersecurity conflicts. Now, it’s become obvious to all that any company could become a target and a strengthening of cyber security posture is required by all.
The Changing Role of the CISO
Over the past year, the CISO role has undergone a notable transformation as well. Legal challenges have targeted CISOs as individuals, emphasizing the complexity of their position. The CISO now stands at the intersection of the company’s interests, public expectations, and government regulations and faces personal accountability for cybersecurity shortcomings within the organization.
Upgrades at Holistic Cyber
All of this has underscored the importance of Holistic Cyber’s role in safeguarding our digital frontiers. Our clients have recognized the need for a strong partner to help them grow their cybersecurity programs, and reinforce their digital boundaries. Therefore, although the past year was for many a time of budget-tightening and cuts, Holistic Cyber experienced remarkable growth.
As a company, we continued hiring at a brisk pace throughout 2023, including adding several key new team members. New CMO Michael Yehoshua and Rich Eisenberg as VP Sales for North America, both bring decades of experience in helping companies such as ours reach their full potential. Both have already made a noticeable impact on our company. Additionally, we increased the size of the team working on SAGE, the cyber defense planning and optimization platform. (More on that below)
Our Executive Board of Directors grew as well in the past year, as we proudly welcomed Former Director of the British Security Service, Lord Jonathan Evans. His deep understanding of the international cyber threat, and thoughtful contributions are helping us to better serve our clients needs.
Developing SAGE
As we finalize our plans for 2024, we expect this to be a transformative year for our company.
The spotlight of our achievements shines brightly on SAGE, our revolutionary cyber defense management platform. When we began working on SAGE, we knew from conversations with CISOs and clients that the product was something the industry needed urgently to fill a gap in the way cyber defense plans are created. What we didn’t know at the time, was just how much we were pioneering a true sea change in the industry. At the end of 2023, Gartner created an entirely new category called Cyber Defense Planning and Optimization based on a series of information sessions with Holistic Cyber’s leadership.
The positive feedback we are getting from industry analysts, and clients who have already signed on as SAGE’s first users gives us confidence that we are heading in the right direction with this product. We anticipate it becoming a cornerstone in redefining global cybersecurity practices.
Now, our plan is to devote even more resources to developing the SAGE platform. As we pivot towards becoming a product-centric company, while still maintaining the strength of our consulting services. Part of this pivot is a rebranding and refresh of our website and logo, elements of which you can already see in our marketing materials and social media accounts. Expect more announcements and updates coming soon.
2023 was an extremely challenging year globally, and I am extremely proud of the way Holistic Cyber has maintained our leadership position and continued to grow as a company. I am greatly indebted to our team of dedicated employees, our tireless board members, and our loyal clients who are helping us build the future of cyber security.
Wishing you all a safe and secure 2024
