Cybersecurity veteran joins from Talkdesk, previously at Duo Security, Zscaler, and Symantec

Cloud Security Leader Sysdig Appoints William Welch CEO to Accelerate Growth and Global Footprint

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Damon Weinhold
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Sysdig, the leader in real-time cloud security, today announced the appointment of William “Bill” Welch as Chief Executive Officer. Welch, a proven leader in scaling high-growth cybersecurity companies, joins Sysdig following senior executive roles at Duo Security, Zscaler, and Symantec, and most recently served as President and COO of Talkdesk. His appointment will further accelerate Sysdig’s growth trajectory and expand its global impact in the rapidly evolving cloud-native application protection platform (CNAPP) market. Welch will also join the Sysdig board of directors.

“What became clear early on in the CEO search is that Bill is a public company executive with a remarkable track record for driving growth across leading security organizations,” said Loris Degioanni, founder and CTO of Sysdig. “His expertise in scaling innovative technology platforms, deep understanding of the security sector, and customer-first focus makes him uniquely suited to serve as Sysdig’s next CEO.”

Capitalizing on Explosive Growth

Cloud security is one of the fastest-growing markets, projected to reach $43.74 billion by the end of this year and surpass $63 billion by 2028. As organizations rapidly move to the cloud to harness its potential for faster software development and deployment, cloud-based attackers are taking advantage of the same speed to conduct malicious operations in minutes.

Sysdig’s competitive advantage is rooted in its superior technological engine, underpinned by the open source project, Falco. Created by Sysdig, Falco has cultivated a widespread community of cloud defenders. With over 130 million downloads, six years of proven governance, and a recent graduation within the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), Falco is the industry standard for runtime threat detection. Powered by Falco, Sysdig is the only security platform that can detect modern cloud-native threats within seconds.

With an obsession for enabling security teams to outpace attackers, Sysdig released Sysdig Sage™, the industry’s first AI cloud security analyst, which is transforming the way organizations interact with their security tools. By empowering security teams with multi-step reasoning, contextual awareness, and remediation guidance, Sysdig Sage goes beyond simple data summarization, engaging users in humanlike conversations while controlling the interface and underlying platform.

“When it comes to cloud security, seconds matter – not just for detecting threats but also regarding how we show up for our customers, partners, and prospects,” Welch said. “Sysdig’s incredible team and thoughtful, technologically superior IP is built to solve the challenges of securing the cloud and not retrofitted to meet them. I’m honored to lead Sysdig in redefining the standard of cloud security.”

Sysdig has fortified relationships with major global companies like Goldman Sachs, Bloomreach, Calendly, SupportLogic, and BigCommerce, and added new customers across more than a dozen countries over the last year.

A Customer-Obsessed Leader

“Having worked with Bill at Symantec, I know firsthand his commitment to capitalizing on market opportunity and strong technologies to cultivate customer obsession,” said Enrique Salem, Sysdig Board Member and Partner at Bain Capital Ventures. “The cloud security landscape is shifting. While early solutions addressed configuration and posture management, today’s enterprises require complete security solutions that span posture through real-time threat detection and response. This is where Sysdig thrives. With Bill at the helm, Sysdig is poised to dominate the next wave of cloud security.”

Welch brings over 30 years of extensive experience in operationalizing and scaling product development and innovation, customer experience, talent acquisition, and strategic alliances across the globe. As COO of Zscaler, he led the organization toward dramatic revenue growth, culminating in an industry-leading initial public offering and a nearly $32 billion market capitalization today. As president and COO of Duo Security, he helped secure a $2.35 billion merger transaction with Cisco.

In his first 90 days, Welch will meet Sysdig’s global network of customers, partners, prospects, and industry analysts. For those interested in connecting with Welch, please contact Sysdig to schedule a meeting during his upcoming engagement tour. Suresh Vasudevan, the company’s outgoing CEO, will remain closely associated with Sysdig and will serve as an independent adviser on the Sysdig board of directors.

About Sysdig

In the cloud, every second counts. Attacks unfold in minutes and security teams must protect the business without slowing it down. Sysdig, the leader and outperformer in the “2024 GigaOm Radar for Cloud-Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP),” stops cloud attacks in seconds and instantly detects changes in risk with real-time insights and open source Falco. Sysdig Sage™, the industry’s first AI cloud security analyst, uplevels human response and enables security, developers, and DevOps to work together, faster. By correlating signals across cloud workloads, identities, and services, Sysdig uncovers hidden attack paths and prioritizes real risk. From prevention to defense, Sysdig helps enterprises focus on what matters: innovation.

Sysdig. Secure Every Second.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241121699621/en/

@Sysdig appoints William Welch as CEO to accelerate growth and global footprint. Learn more: https://sysdig.com/press-releases/sysdig-appoints-william-welch-as-ceo/