CompTIA Introduces New Cybersecurity Advisory Council

By AIT News Desk On Jan 18, 2021

Top security executives will offer advice and guidance on staying ahead of cyber threats

CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry, has expanded its leadership in cybersecurity with the formation of a new Cybersecurity Advisory Council.

The council, comprised of 16 experts from a multitude of disciplines and organizations, will provide guidance on how technology companies can address pressing cybersecurity issues and threats and implement new practices and protocols to keep their customers safe.

“Recent events have underscored the dangerous cyber environment that all of us are operating in,” said Annette Taber, senior vice president for industry outreach and relations at CompTIA. “Combatting these threats requires a collaborative effort that brings together expertise from across the cybersecurity spectrum. We’re pleased to announce today that a number of leading cyber authorities have joined our Cybersecurity Advisory Council.”

The council is co-chaired by Tracy Holtz, director of security solutions for Tech Data Corporation, and Kevin McDonald, chief operating officer and chief information security officer at Alvaka Networks.

“We recognize the real need to make industry-wide improvements if we are going to defend our companies, customers and industry reputations,” Holtz said. “The council will greatly expand outreach with the primary goal of changing collective behavior to reduce attacks and their associated negative impacts on the channel and their clients.”

“There is no more critical time to bring together the new CompTIA Cyber Security Council,” McDonald added. “The nearly constant changes, growing number and sophistication of threats and threat actors call for a far more coordinated approach to cybersecurity. Our community and customers deserve better, and we aim to help in making it better.”

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Kevin Nikkhoo, CEO of XeneX, is the council’s vice chair.

“With the growing cybersecurity threats it is imperative to develop tools, policies, guidelines and roadmaps to help the IT industry as well as customers protect their organizations and critical assets,” Nikkhoo said. “This is a unique opportunity for CompTIA and cybersecurity industry leaders to bridge the gap across different industries and disciplines and address the much-needed cooperation and communication to achieve these goals.”

Other members of the CompTIA Cybersecurity Advisory Council include Pierson Clair, managing director, Kroll, Inc.; Sean Cordero, head of cloud strategy, Netskope; Ron Culler, senior director, technology and solutions, ADT Cybersecurity; Kyle Hanslovan, CEO, Huntress Labs; Rebecca Herold, CEO and co-founder, The Privacy Professor; Taylor Hersom, founder and CEO, Eden Data; and Diana Kelley, co-founder, SecurityCurve.

Also, Christopher Morales, head of security analytics, Vectra AI; Ben Nowacky, senior vice president of product, Axcient, Inc.; Eric Pinto, senior director, channel, SOCSoter, Inc.; Frank Rauch, worldwide head of channels, Check Point; Joseph Steinberg, CEO, Joseph Steinberg, LLC; and J.J. Thompson, senior director, managed threat response, Sophos.

The council will begin its work by assessing the most significant cybersecurity changes and trends happening today, as well as future developments likely to impact the market in the next three to five years. They’ll also look at the factors that affect the adoption of new cybersecurity practices and technologies, and how to overcome barriers and obstacles to broader adoption.

The advisory council will work in concert with other groups at CompTIA, including the association’s IT Security Community, whose members are champions for the secure and responsible adoption and management of technology solutions, and the CompTIA ISAO, dedicated to providing critical threat intelligence to the technical community and its customers.

With the addition of the Cybersecurity Advisory Council CompTIA now supports seven advisory groups that bring together successful and innovative industry leaders to debate and prioritize important issues and challenges that impact the broader technology ecosystem.