Latest news with #QuestSoftware
Techday NZ
4 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Quest Software unveils new executives & USD $350m investment
Quest Software has appointed a new executive team to support its expansion priorities in AI readiness, cybersecurity, and platform modernisation. Key executive hires The company has announced the appointments of Ashish Joshi as President and Chief Financial Officer, Maureen Perrelli as Chief Channel Officer, and John Bertero as Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer. These leadership positions have been filled in response to increased demand for artificial intelligence, secure identity management, and updated data platforms in the enterprise sector. Ashish Joshi will oversee Finance, Legal, and Compliance. Joshi previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Redwood Software and has a background in scaling software-as-a-service enterprises. Maureen Perrelli brings experience from her prior roles at Oracle, GE, Secureworks, NCR, and Brivo, and will now lead Quest Software's global channel strategy. She is responsible for developing the company's partner ecosystem to address the requirements of businesses seeking AI enablement. John Bertero, who has a track record of managing high-performing sales teams, assumes responsibility for all global sales operations with a focus on customer-centric solutions. Investment and strategy These appointments follow a capital investment of USD $350 million intended to accelerate product development around embedded AI capabilities and readiness technologies. This investment supports Quest Software's plans to help enterprises unlock greater value from AI while strengthening its partner network, which focuses on strategic alliances across data, identity, and Microsoft environments, including Active Directory and Entra ID. Tim Page, Chief Executive Officer of Quest Software, commented on the expanded leadership group, stating: "I couldn't be more excited to work with such a high-powered executive team. This team is a competitive advantage and positions Quest to deliver what customers expect - faster decisions, clearer priorities, and market-leading solutions that work out of the box. That means stronger accountability, smarter execution, and a tighter connection between what we build and what our customers need." According to the company, the shifting landscape in enterprise technology is increasing the importance of scalable platform modernisation and trusted providers who can partner with organisations to govern data, secure access, and expand operational capabilities as AI adoption rises. Company direction With the reported uplift in demand for secure and modernised IT infrastructure, Quest Software has indicated that its focus remains on operational excellence, customer value, and readiness to help businesses transition to AI-enabled environments. Tim Page further stated: "This is about execution, accountability, and delivering at scale. With the right team in place and a differentiated platform, we're ready to lead our customers into the future - faster, more securely, and with confidence." Quest Software currently serves more than 45,000 companies worldwide, including over 90% of the Fortune 500, providing solutions related to data management, governance, cybersecurity, and platform modernisation.
Techday NZ
31-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Quest Software boosts Australian channel strategy with new leaders
Quest Software has announced new leadership appointments to strengthen its channel partner strategy across Australia, signalling an increased commitment to the country's enterprise sector and its partner ecosystem. Maureen Perrelli has been appointed as Chief Channel Officer to lead Quest Software's global channel strategy. Perrelli's previous roles include Vice President of Worldwide Channel Sales at NCR and Chief Revenue Officer at Brivo, alongside her experience at Oracle, GE and Secureworks. Within the Asia Pacific and Japan region, Angela Maniscalco steps into the Head of Channel post after five years leading erwin sales across APJ and ANZ, including during and after its integration into Quest. Maniscalco's earlier experience includes serving as Head of Strategic Partnerships and Marketing APAC at Insight. Channel focus These appointments are positioned as part of a targeted effort to grow Quest's local presence by delivering enhanced partner programs, increased enablement, and new opportunities for enterprise collaboration. Quest sees the Australian partner ecosystem as a central component in driving growth, particularly in sectors faced with high regulatory requirements. "Australian partners are at the heart of Quest's growth strategy as we expand our cybersecurity, data, and modernisation portfolios. Our goal is to build deeper and more strategic partnerships that deliver strong customer outcomes, especially in complex, highly regulated sectors such as finance, government and healthcare," said Maureen Perrelli, Chief Channel Officer at Quest Software. The company has outlined plans to expand and improve its partner program. Central to this refreshed approach are enhanced enablement resources, new certification pathways, and a suite of benefits across Quest's solution areas. Three solution pillars Quest Software is grouping its offerings into three primary areas. The first is Cybersecurity & IT Resilience, which includes tools for Active Directory protection, threat detection and recovery. Among the upcoming products, the GenAI-enhanced Security Guardian is scheduled to launch later in 2025, promising to enhance detection and response capabilities for environments using Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID. The second area, AI-ready Data & Governance, equips organisations with support for discovering, governing, and preparing enterprise data for compliance, analytics and future AI initiatives. This emphasis responds to increasing regulatory scrutiny and the drive toward making enterprise data audit-ready for statutory compliance and analytics. The third core pillar, Migrations & Modernisation, encompasses migration solutions for Microsoft platforms such as Active Directory, Exchange, and SQL Server. Quest points to its On Demand Migration platform, the first migration product to achieve Microsoft 365 Certification, providing assurances to partners involved in cloud transformation projects. Quest expects these solution pillars to be strengthened by the new leadership structure and targeted partner program enhancements. Deeper partner engagement The company is also investing in joint go-to-market initiatives and field engagement, aiming to equip its Australian partners to address customer challenges more effectively and grow their own businesses. "Our strategy is simple: put customer outcomes first by working closely with trusted partners. It's not just about building great products, it's about how we take them to market together and create real value for customers," Perrelli added. Quest Software states its ongoing commitment is to deliver technology and solutions that support enterprise needs around data management, cybersecurity and platform modernisation. The company's larger client base includes over 45,000 organisations worldwide, among them more than 90% of the Fortune 500.
Techday NZ
18-07-2025
- Business
- Techday NZ
Quest launches AI security tool to cut response times on AD threats
Quest Software has announced the worldwide release of Security Guardian Intelligence, a generative AI-powered addition to its identity threat detection and response platform aimed at hybrid Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID environments. Features and context The update is designed to help security teams, often facing a shortage of senior Active Directory (AD) specialists, translate technical alerts into plain-language insights, map incidents against recognised attacker behaviours, and follow guided remediation steps. This is intended to reduce investigation times and allow quicker action against potential identity threats. Heath Thompson, President and Chief Product Officer at Quest, said, "Security Guardian Intelligence doesn't just detect identity threats - it explains them with business or board-level context. It gives teams a faster way to prioritize real risk and take action, without needing to interpret every technical detail manually." Industry pressures Security and IT departments continue to experience increasing pressure as identity-based attacks rise and the financial impact of AD system downtime remains significant. The disruption from an Active Directory outage can cost in excess of $730,000 per hour, highlighting the importance of fast and effective response capabilities. Organisations are also challenged by the growth in alert volumes, disconnected security tools, and a documented lack of specialists with advanced Active Directory skills. These delays in response can leave companies vulnerable to further impact, with data showing that successful ransomware attacks may disable systems for an average of 23 days. Eric Aslaksen, General Manager of Security and Chief Information Security Officer at ivision, said, "We support customers across industries who are drowning in identity alerts but lack the in-house expertise to act on them. Security Guardian already gives visibility - SGI adds the context and speed they've been missing. By helping surface what matters and guiding the response, it's shaping up to be a valuable tool in our identity security toolkit." Key capabilities Security Guardian Intelligence introduces three primary functions to address current industry challenges: Plain-language threat summaries, providing technical findings in an accessible format Mapped attacker behaviour, aligned with recognised frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK Embedded, step-by-step remediation guidance, designed to function without the need for manual scripting or escalation Comparison with legacy platforms Quest has highlighted the architectural difference between its platform and older solutions. Security Guardian was developed as a cloud-native platform, enabling it to support real-time application of large language models across live identity telemetry without requiring additional workarounds. The company noted that traditional on-premises security tools can face performance and infrastructure limitations when integrating advanced artificial intelligence capabilities. By contrast, Quest seeks to provide accelerated insights and more comprehensive context through its updated solution. Integration and availability Security Guardian Intelligence is included in the existing platform at no additional charge for current customers. It also functions alongside other components in Quest's Cybersecurity & Resilience suite, which covers enterprise backup and disaster recovery, endpoint protection, and continuous incident response, in an effort to extend protection across all phases of the attack lifecycle. The update uses a click-to-context approach, taking users directly from identity alerts to recommendations and business impact analysis, with the objective of helping teams act even in the absence of senior identity specialists. Quest Software reports that the new functionality was designed to be AI-ready from the outset, meeting the needs of modern hybrid identity environments involving both on-premises and cloud-based directories.
Forbes
09-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Active Directory Sprawl: The Risks And What You Can Do
John Hernandez, President and Chief Customer Officer at Quest Software. Most breaches don't start with a clever hack—they start with a login. And when Active Directory (AD) is cluttered and outdated, it becomes the easiest way in. For many organizations, AD has quietly grown out of control. Years of business growth, M&A activity and quick fixes leave behind legacy accounts, overlapping domains and unclear permissions. It's not always obvious until something breaks or someone gets in. That complexity slows down operations. Worse, it expands the attack surface. Today's threat actors don't need much. A single unmonitored account or excessive permission can be all it takes. And with AI speeding up how attackers map environments, a messy AD becomes a serious risk. That's why 94% of organizations see the value of AD modernization. Cleaning it up isn't just good IT practice, it's a strategic move to reduce risk and restore control. So, how does sprawl take root, and what can you do about it? A Growing Business Means A Growing AD As businesses grow or merge, so does the complexity of their infrastructure. What starts as a well-managed AD environment can turn into a mess of accounts and domains. Over time, technical teams apply stopgap fixes to keep things running. They may delay cleanup for more pressing tasks, but temporary fixes tend to become permanent. The result is a chaotic environment that strains people and processes. Common impacts of AD sprawl: • IT teams must manage disjointed or duplicated directories. Admins waste time jumping between systems, troubleshooting across forests and manually syncing changes. • Users struggle with login issues and inconsistent access. Different domains lead to multiple passwords, blocked access to shared apps and more help desk tickets. • Delays occur in onboarding or offboarding employees. HR and IT processes break down when users must be manually added or removed across multiple environments. • Higher costs result from redundant infrastructure. More domains often mean duplicate servers, extra licensing and unnecessary hardware. • Gaps appear in security policies and monitoring tools. Inconsistent policies and logging make it easier for attackers to move unnoticed. The operational toll is high. But the security risk is worse. When you can't see your full identity infrastructure, attackers can. Poorly managed accounts, excessive permissions and legacy configurations become open doors for threat actors, ideal for lateral movement, privilege escalation and data theft. For example, attackers might exploit SID History to impersonate high-privilege users or find leftover accounts from an old acquisition. Every outdated setting is a potential risk. Attackers are also using AI to speed up reconnaissance and exploit paths through poorly managed environments. When AD is messy, these tools work faster and more effectively, giving threat actors an edge. That's why identity is such a high-value target, and why containing AD sprawl should be a security priority. How To Contain Your AD There's no one-size-fits-all solution for managing Active Directory, but every organization can take key steps to reduce risk and improve control. It starts with prevention. Assigning ownership of your AD environment isn't just for daily tasks, but for overall structure and accountability. Use consistent naming for users, groups and systems to avoid confusion. Limit who can make structural changes, and put approval processes in place for any major updates. Track all changes, especially after growth events like mergers or reorganizations. Without documentation, it's easy to lose sight of what changed and why. Review your environment regularly. Set aside time each quarter to check for inactive accounts, duplicate rules or unnecessary domains. Avoid giving permanent high-level access. Use temporary permissions whenever possible, tied to specific roles or time frames. None of this requires new tools. It just requires process and discipline. If your AD environment is already complex, here are five practical steps to help you regain control without needing new technology or extra budget: 1. Know what you have. Start by mapping your current environment. How many domains do you have? How do they connect? Which parts are still in active use? Even a basic inventory can reveal hidden problems. 2. Spot the risks. Look for signs of unnecessary complexity. Old accounts that are still active, too many admin-level users or conflicting access rules are all common and easy to overlook. 3. Simplify where possible. You don't have to fix everything at once. Focus on small wins—retire an unused domain, clean up an old group or consolidate overlapping roles. Make changes that reduce risk without disrupting operations. 4. Tighten access rules. Review who has access to what. Make sure users have only what they need—no more, no less. Removing outdated or excessive permissions is one of the fastest ways to reduce exposure. 5. Keep control going forward. Put processes in place to prevent sprawl from returning. Some teams now use AI-driven monitoring to detect unusual behavior, like sudden permission changes or dormant accounts becoming active again. These tools help flag issues early, but they still rely on a clean AD to work well. Track AD changes, review new accounts and roles regularly, and include AD in your ongoing security and infrastructure reviews. These steps can help turn AD from a liability into a stable foundation for your identity security strategy. Take The Next Step If your AD environment has grown messy, you're not alone. Most organizations struggle with sprawl at some point. But you don't have to live with it. Start by asking how many domains you're managing. Where are your biggest risks? What could your team do if AD were no longer a burden? And if you're already investing in AI for threat detection or automation, a clean AD makes that investment more effective. The path forward is clear: simplify and secure. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
Bloomberg
02-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Clearlake Overhauls Debt, Gets Fresh Capital for Quest Software
A deal to provide Clearlake Capital Group- backed Quest Software Inc. with $350 million of fresh capital to help fund its artificial intelligence and growth plans is coming at the expense of some lenders who will be pushed down the repayment line. Lenders who didn't participate in the transaction, along with other junior creditors, will be ranked lower, according to people with knowledge of the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing a private matter. That may impact what they can recoup from their investment, they added.
