Sophos strengthens technical leadership

BOSTON, USA: Global IT security and data protection firm Sophos today announced the appointment of Gerhard Eschelbeck to chief technology officer and senior vice president.

Eschelbeck, one of the world's foremost experts on vulnerabilities and network security, will lead the company's technology strategy, driving product direction and innovation for the world leader in security for businesses, a company release said.

Eschelbeck, who holds a number of patents within information security and is one of the inventors of the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), brings nearly twenty years of leadership experience to Sophos. Most recently, he served as CTO and senior vice president at Webroot Software, a leading provider of Internet security solutions, where he was responsible for the development of their cloud-based technologies. Prior to Webroot, as CTO and vice president of engineering at Qualys, he helped the company achieve a leadership position in the SaaS-based vulnerability management market. Previously, he served in senior product and technology roles at companies including Network Associates and McAfee.

"Gerhard is a great addition to the Sophos management team. He is a renowned expert on vulnerability management and cloud security, both of which are becoming more important to our customers and to IT staff worldwide, in the wake of new and increased threats," said Steve Munford, CEO of Sophos. "Gerhard has an impressive track record of transforming businesses through technology; and as Sophos is a company whose heritage and focus is technology-driven, his expertise and leadership will be key as we expand and enhance our solutions to meet the growing needs of customers."