Security Staff Acquisition & Development, Channel partners, Content

BlackBerry, Cylance, Symantec Veteran May Mitchell Joins iBoss

May Mitchell, senior VP, iboss
May Mitchell, senior VP, iboss

Cloud-delivered network security provider iboss has hired BlackBerry, Cylance and Symantec veteran May Mitchell as senior VP of marketing. Mitchell will oversee sales and marketing of iboss's Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) cloud network security services and Zero Trust Network Access (ZNTA) solution, the company said.

Mitchell most recently was VP of global channels, alliances and marketing for BlackBerry's Cylance business. She oversaw the building of a merged BlackBerry-Cylance partner program -- which now features the new BlackBerry Cyber Suite for endpoint protection, endpoint detection and response (EDR) and managed detection and response (MDR) services. BlackBerry acquired Cylance for $1.4 billion in 2018.

iboss Hires May Mitchell: Executive perspectives

In a prepared statement about the hire, iboss CEO Paul Martini said:

“May’s pedigree for successfully launching and driving adoption of cutting-edge new technology is unparalleled. Organizations are increasingly looking to the cloud to combine networking functions and leading security to meet the demands of modern and dispersed workforces. As a result, iboss has been growing incredibly quickly over the last several months and May will help us take the next step in our expansion.”

Added Mitchell:

“Covid-19 has expedited the timeline for a massive market of organizations to adopt and implement cloud-based solutions that protect their people and their data while reducing cost. I’m excited to leverage the full spectrum of field sellers, alliance and channel partners to continue driving growth for iboss and adoption of its industry-leading suite of products as customers accelerate their digital business transformation.”

iboss Expands Channel Partner Program Talent

iboss has been in hiring mode. The cybersecurity company earlier this month named Forescout Technologies veteran Matt Hartley as chief revenue officer. And in in the first half of 2020, the company filled the following channel-centric positions:

  • Ryan O'Connell as VP of channel sales and alliances;
  • Linda McCord as director of channel sales;
  • Erick Foy as senior director of channels sales east;
  • Traci Sever as senior director of channel sales west;
  • Matthew Hamling as senior director of channel sales engineering Americas; and
  • Henry Niekerk as director of channel sales engineers.

Those hires previously held key posts at CheckPoint, Fidelis, McAfee, and Symantec.

On the partner front, iboss in recent months has inked distribution agreements with Ingram Micro, Synnex, and SCOPE Middle East. The company also has an MSP-specific track within its partner program.

iboss: Potential IPO?

iboss in October 2019 hinted that it may pursue an IPO (initial public offering) within 12 months, but I don't believe the company has provided an update on that IPO topic since that time. Goldman Sachs invested $35 million in iboss at a valuation of more than $500 million back in 2015.

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.