Claroty, the security company for cyber-physical systems across industrial, healthcare, and commercial environments, today announced the appointment of Heather Young as regional vice president of public sector sales. Young will lead Claroty engagements in the public sector that are focused on safeguarding U.S. critical infrastructure systems.
This appointment comes on the heels of multiple initiatives by Claroty to partner with the U.S. government to strengthen the nation’s critical infrastructure security:
- OT Cyber Coalition: In April 2022, Claroty joined a diverse group of cybersecurity leaders to launch the Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition, which advocates for vendor-neutral, interoperable, and standards-based cybersecurity solutions and works collaboratively with industry and government stakeholders on how to best deploy data-sharing solutions that enhance the country’s collective defense.
- JCDC-ICS: Also in April, Claroty joined the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative for Industrial Control Systems (JCDC-ICS). This initiative builds on the existing platform of the JCDC by taking advantage of the knowledge, visibility, and capabilities of the ICS community to build plans around the protection and defense of control systems; inform U.S. government guidance on ICS/OT cybersecurity; and contribute to real time operational fusion across private and public partners in the ICS/OT space.
- IT-SCC: Last week, Claroty became a formal member of the IT Sector Coordinating Council (IT-SCC), an entity that coordinates with the U.S. government to enhance critical infrastructure cybersecurity. Claroty will be working alongside other industry partners, as well as the Department of Homeland Security and key government agencies, to improve the cybersecurity resilience of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors.
Young’s appointment is the next step in Claroty’s expansion into the public sector. A seasoned government and public infrastructure professional, she brings more than 15 years of public sector sales leadership experience at leading technology companies spanning both emerging and established markets, including IronNet Cybersecurity, Micro Focus Government Solutions, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
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“How we approach, view and tackle cybersecurity challenges has changed drastically over the past few years and now is the time for leaders to start finding new ways to safeguard the systems and technologies people rely on every day,” said Young. “After the Colonial Pipeline attack, it became apparent to me that there’s often limited visibility between the cyber and physical systems within critical infrastructure due to the mismatch in language protocols. There is an urgent need for government agencies to bridge that gap, and I joined Claroty because we have the best team, product, and market fit to fulfill that need.”
Many of the industries most at risk for a cyberattack are operated by federal, state, and local municipalities. These systems include water treatment facilities, hospitals, public transportation, energy providers, and more. Additionally, with the onset of the pandemic in 2020, many of these organizations had to shift to remote work for the first time, which increased the attack surface area for threat actors to exploit. Young will be instrumental in bringing Claroty’s Secure Remote Access solution to government agencies, which provides reliable and highly secure remote access to OT environments.
“Critical infrastructure cybersecurity can no longer work in a silo; it’s going to take all of us working together to make a difference in defending both our private and public infrastructure systems,” said Frank Cohen, general manager of the Americas at Claroty. “Young understands this thinking and is at the forefront of bringing cyber safety to public systems on behalf of Claroty. She possesses the unique balance of technology domain expertise, coupled with experience bringing companies and products to market for the first time in the public sector. We are excited to have Heather lead Claroty forward in our mission to protect the cyber-physical systems that sustain our lives.”
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