Forcepoint appoints new CPO to boost company’s data-first SASE strategy

Forcepoint announced the appointment of new Chief Product Officer (CPO) to boost the company’s data-first SASE strategy. Rees Johnson, the company’s recently appointed CPO, will play a key role in the company’s continued delivery of Data-first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions, which enable companies and government agencies to secure their organization’s lifeblood – data – wherever it is accessible.

Johnson will supervise the company’s complete product portfolio, including leadership and administration of all product development, innovation, and strategic integration efforts. As CPO, he will focus on continuing customer value generation through the industry’s first data-first SASE product, enabling unified safe access and data security that spans on-premises, hybrid and cloud.

“Today’s reality is that people are working from, well, everywhere. Securing hybrid and rapidly evolving computing environments is proving to be beyond the reach of most companies. Providing secure network access is only half the battle. Progressive organizations must also address the protection of precious information assets in perimeter-less networking environments. Forcepoint is revolutionizing data security by enabling users to safely access and use data anywhere they work,” said Manny Rivelo, CEO of Forcepoint.

Also said, “And this is resonating with customers. We’ve added more than a thousand new customers in the past six months and our data protection business is growing exponentially.”

Rivelo continued, “The timing is perfect for welcoming Rees Johnson as our Chief Product Officer. Forcepoint’s data security heritage has proven to be a game-changer for SASE, and Rees’ background made him the perfect executive to assume the helm of leading our SASE product development teams. Rees has been a cybersecurity innovator and disruptor for more than two decades and I look forward to partnering with him as we accelerate investment and development in the industry’s only Data-first SASE offering.”

With over 20 years of product management experience in network security, cloud security, and SaaS migration strategy, Johnson is an asset to Forcepoint’s security technology team. McAfee by Intel for $7B, Bluecoat by Symantec for $4.6B, and Symantec by Broadcom for $10B are among the three greatest information security acquisitions in the industry.

Previously, Johnson served as senior vice president of product management for Symantec’s Enterprise Division before joining Forcepoint. Ses responsibilities in this post included leading efforts to convert all products to support the SaaS business model, as well as helping customers migrate from traditional on-premises goods to SaaS solutions. Former Intel (previously McAfee) vice president and general manager of the Content and SaaS Security business as well as senior vice president of McAfee Labs was Johnson’s previous employer.

A former McAfee executive, he increased the company’s Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) bookings to earn the number one position in the market. McAfee’s senior vice president of product management for the System Security and Risk Management business units, as well as the director of product management for ePO, are also key positions in the company.

“The future of network security is SASE, and to lead with data is paramount. Forcepoint’s data-first SASE strategy is the way forward for organizations today. Forcepoint has a rich and proven history of data security leadership including nine times placement in the leader quadrant by the industry’s most recognized analyst firm,” said Johnson.

He continued, “Forcepoint has a strategic advantage in being a leader in the increasingly crowded global SASE market with its data-first differentiation. The key to success is providing customers a pathway to the cloud at their pace and in a way that meets their unique requirements. Forcepoint has done a phenomenal job through its customer-first focus, which is critical to exceeding customer expectations in embracing the move to the cloud. There is a tremendous opportunity in front of us, and I look forward to continuing to develop and innovate new pathways for customers as they realize the true business enabling power security can deliver.”