Forcepoint Announces Key Leadership Appointments - TECHx Media Forcepoint Announces Key Leadership Appointments
Forcepoint, a global data security company, has announced three key leadership appointments aimed at accelerating its AI-driven Data Security Everywhere strategy. Guy Shamilov has been named Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Bakshi Kohli as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Head of Global Engineering, and Naveen Palavalli's role has expanded to Chief Product Officer and Chief Marketing Officer (CPO and CMO). These strategic moves are designed to strengthen Forcepoint's vision to unify visibility and control across all stages of the data security lifecycle, from discovery and classification to monitoring, prioritization, and risk mitigation.
As data continues to spread across hybrid environments and generative AI (GenAI) introduces new risks, Forcepoint underscores the need for dynamic, adaptive data security solutions. With automated, AI-powered platforms, businesses and governments can protect sensitive information and intellectual property from increasingly sophisticated AI-driven threats. Legacy security tools that operate in silos are no longer enough, and Forcepoint's platform aims to simplify the management of security policies, reduce risk, and enhance compliance by unifying data protection strategies.
Ryan Windham, CEO of Forcepoint, emphasized the importance of AI in simplifying security management. 'Our mission is to embed AI automation into every aspect of data security,' said Windham. 'With AI Mesh at the heart of Forcepoint's insights and adaptive controls for risk, we provide full-lifecycle data security across hybrid and AI environments. Guy, Bakshi, and Naveen's leadership will play a critical role in accelerating innovation and strengthening customer security.'
Guy Shamilov brings over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity and will lead Forcepoint's global security strategy. Before joining Forcepoint, Shamilov held key roles as CISO at Varonis, Tata Consultancy Services, and Traiana. He has been recognized for driving security innovation and risk management, earning the CISO of the Year award in 2023. Shamilov stated, 'With AI-driven attacks on the rise, businesses are struggling to adapt to evolving threats. Forcepoint's AI-powered platform offers end-to-end visibility and control to simplify management and mitigate risk.'
Bakshi Kohli, with over 30 years of experience, will lead Forcepoint's global engineering teams and drive the company's architectural vision for its Data Security Everywhere platform. Kohli previously helped Zscaler grow its recurring revenue 15x and played a key role in its IPO. Kohli emphasized, 'GenAI is transforming security, and organizations must understand both the data fed into AI models and the insights they produce. Forcepoint is the only vendor delivering such a comprehensive, AI-powered data security platform.'
Naveen Palavalli, who has nearly 25 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, now oversees product strategy, roadmap, and marketing at Forcepoint. Since joining as CMO in April 2024, Palavalli has played a key role in launching solutions such as Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) and Data Detection and Response (DDR). Palavalli remarked, 'Security must evolve as rapidly as emerging threats, and this is essential for businesses to thrive in the AI era.'
Forcepoint is also expanding its AI-driven data security capabilities with the planned acquisition of Getvisibility, a leader in AI-powered security solutions. This acquisition will integrate Getvisibility's DSPM, DDR, and AI-Mesh solutions into Forcepoint's existing portfolio, further strengthening its unified Data Security Everywhere architecture. By integrating these capabilities, Forcepoint enhances its ability to identify and protect sensitive data across cloud, web, and endpoint environments, providing customers with real-time protection without the complexity of managing multiple security tools.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Channel Post MEA
4 hours ago
- Channel Post MEA
Varonis Enhances Data Security Platform
Varonis Systems has announced Varonis Identity Protection, the latest enhancement to its Data Security Platform that gives organizations unified visibility and control of data and identities. Most identity security tools operate in a vacuum — with no understanding of the critical data each identity can access or how they're accessing it. Varonis connects the dots between identities and data, helping organizations automatically reduce access to their most sensitive data, fix identity posture issues, and stop identity-based threats — including those originating from insiders, stolen credentials, and AI tools and agents. Unlike traditional identity products, Varonis understands the blast radius of every identity — showing how much data would be exposed if an identity were compromised. Varonis Identity Protection distinguishes between human and non-human identities, classifies them as internal, guest, external, or privileged, and monitors how they interact with data to detect anomalies. 'Identity and data are deeply intertwined — securing one without the other leaves dangerous gaps,' said Varonis CEO, President, and Co-Founder Yaki Faitelson. 'By unifying identity and data security, Varonis gives customers the context they need to better ensure identity threats don't become data breaches.' Key Capabilities of Varonis Identity Protection: Machine Learning-Based Identity Classification: Varonis integrates with Entra ID, Okta, Active Directory, and others to map user accounts across environments. Using machine learning, Varonis auto-classifies identities — tagging executives, privileged users, service accounts, non-human identities, and more. Varonis integrates with Entra ID, Okta, Active Directory, and others to map user accounts across environments. Using machine learning, Varonis auto-classifies identities — tagging executives, privileged users, service accounts, non-human identities, and more. Peer Analysis & User Behavior Analysis: Varonis continuously analyzes peer behavior to detect anomalies in identity usage, flagging deviations from normal patterns to surface risky activity earlier. Identity Threat Detection & Response (ITDR): Varonis monitors identity providers for signs of compromise, alerting on suspicious logins, password resets, MFA changes, and policy updates — in context with each account's data access activity. Identity Posture Management With Automated Remediation: Varonis flags stale contractor accounts, excessive permissions, and missing MFA — then automatically remediates risks by revoking access, removing entitlements, and eliminating ghost accounts. Varonis was recently named a Leader in Identity Threat Detection and Response by GigaOm, recognizing the platform's advanced detection and automated response capabilities. These identity capabilities also enhance Varonis Managed Data Detection and Response (MDDR), enabling our expert analysts to detect and respond to a broader range of threats faster and more effectively across customer environments.
Martechvibe
7 hours ago
- Martechvibe
AdLift Announces the Launch of Tesseract
Tesseract delivers actionable insights for AI-savvy marketing strategies, whether it's identifying brand mentions in ChatGPT outputs or assessing visibility in Google's AI Overviews. Topics News Share Share AdLift Announces the Launch of Tesseract Whatsapp Linkedin AdLift has announced the launch of Tesseract. Tesseract is a tool designed to help brands, agencies, and marketers track and amplify their presence across the rapidly expanding landscape of Large Language Model (LLM) powered search platforms, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Google AI Overviews, and Perplexity. AdLift Inc., now part of Liqvd Asia, has been at the forefront of innovation, bringing together talent to deliver the best solutions. With Tesseract, they're taking AI-powered marketing to the next level. As AI reshapes the way consumers find and interact with content, traditional SEO methods are fast becoming obsolete. This technology is built to unlock this new frontier, giving brands real-time visibility into how they are being discovered and represented within AI-powered responses. It helps marketers to not only monitor but also optimise their digital footprint where it counts—in the very engines powering the next generation of search. 'Search is undergoing a seismic shift. The dominance of traditional search engines is being challenged by AI-native platforms that interpret and present information differently,' said Prashant Puri, CEO & Co-Founder of AdLift Inc. 'Brands that don't adapt risk becoming invisible in this new landscape. Tesseract is our answer to this challenge—a revolutionary tool that puts brands back in control of their digital destiny.' ALSO READ: Unlike legacy SEO platforms, Tesseract decodes how LLMs display, prioritise, and contextualise brand content. Whether it's identifying brand mentions in ChatGPT outputs or assessing visibility in Google's AI Overviews, the platform delivers actionable insights for AI-savvy marketing strategies. 'AI agents are the future, and businesses are seeing the transformation since their introduction. There's a massive opportunity across industries, and with the Tesseract tool, we are proud to enjoy the first mover advantage of this service,' said Arron Goodin, Managing Director, AdLift Inc. 'As an agency, we are committed towards innovations, helping our clients and building a competitive edge with enhanced efficiency and deeper industry insights.' Arnab Mitra, Founder & Managing Director of Liqvd Asia, commented, 'At Liqvd Asia, innovation is our core. With Tesseract, we're not just responding to the AI revolution—we're shaping it.' 'This product reflects our commitment to empowering brands with cutting-edge solutions that anticipate the future of digital marketing. We believe Tesseract will be a game-changer, enabling brands to thrive in an AI-first world where visibility means everything.' By launching Tesseract, AdLift reaffirms its commitment to pushing the boundaries of digital innovation. ALSO READ:
Martechvibe
7 hours ago
- Martechvibe
Why Most Businesses Are Still Struggling to Win with AI
AI is everywhere. It's the cornerstone of transformation roadmaps, the centrepiece of boardroom conversations, and increasingly, the north star of enterprise innovation. A recent Qlik study revealed that 86% of senior executives say AI is now central to their organisation's business strategy. Yet, only a small fraction are seeing the meaningful business outcomes they hoped for. A parallel report by Kyndryl paints a similar picture. Despite the enthusiasm, most businesses are still stuck in the early phases of AI maturity. Only 5% of organisations are considered 'AI Pacesetters'— those that successfully use AI at scale and see significant returns. So what's going wrong? The AI Execution Gap Is Real Both reports point to a sobering truth: strategy alone isn't enough. There's a wide and growing gap between AI ambition and AI execution, and it's costing companies time, money, and competitive advantage. 'Organisations clearly recognise that merely investing in AI is insufficient; what matters now is delivering tangible outcomes. Yet, as our research underscores, the road to production AI remains blocked by persistent hurdles—cost, complexity, and data fragmentation,' said Mike Capone, CEO of Qlik. Closing the AI execution gap requires more than aspiration—it demands practical solutions that simplify data integration, ensure governance, and empower better decision-making. This pressure is even more intense with generative AI dominating leadership agendas. The pace of genAI evolution amplifies organisational anxiety and widens the gap between intent and capability. Eric Hanselman, Chief Analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said, 'The fast-evolving GenAI landscape pressures enterprises to move swiftly, sometimes sacrificing caution as they strive to stay competitive. Many are deploying GenAI tools before fully understanding their implications, especially with the surge of SaaS platforms embedding genAI capabilities.' Recent research from S&P, 'The 2025 Thales Data Threat Report' revealed that nearly 70% of organisations consider the fast pace of generative AI development the leading challenge tied to AI adoption, followed by concerns over integrity (64%) and trustworthiness (57%). Enterprises are leveraging AI to accelerate product development, enhance CXs, improve training, speed drug discovery, and optimise operations. However, the rapid adoption of genAI introduces complex challenges that organisations must navigate carefully. The Five Core Blockers Include: 1. Workforce Inertia and Fear Kyndryl found that 71% of leaders believe their workforce isn't ready to adopt AI. 45% say there's active resistance or even fear of job displacement due to AI. 2. Talent and Skills Shortages Over half of the organisations surveyed (51%) admit they lack the necessary AI-skilled talent to scale effectively. Many are not investing fast enough in reskilling or change management. 3. Data Complexity Qlik's report shows most organisations are bogged down by fragmented data systems, legacy infrastructure, and inconsistent governance models. Nearly 80% of respondents say these issues are their biggest barriers to realising AI's full potential. 4. Leadership Disconnects
