FireMon Taps New CEO as Jody Brazil Steps Down

Security intelligence solution provider FireMon announced that company co-founder Jody Brazil has stepped down from his role as CEO, and has been replaced by newly minted president and COO Jim Lewandowski.

The executive shakeup is the result of Brazil’s desire to focus on building FireMon’s security product portfolio, where he will assume the role of chief product strategist, according to the announcement. Lewandowski, who joined the company just over a month ago, will be tasked with leading the company in his stead.

FireMon said it plans to utilize Lewandowski’s experience in the IT industry to gradually double in size over the next three years, with initiatives surrounding expanded business development and new programs.

“Security requires focus and vision,” said Lewandowski, in a statement. “As bad actors become more creative and networks become more sophisticated, effective defenses must meet unprecedented levels of technical innovation and ingenuity. I’m humbled by the opportunity and thankful for the confidence Jody has expressed by choosing me to assume the leadership position of this great company.”

Brazil has been FireMon’s CEO for more than a decade, and helped double the company’s revenue and expand its customer base last year, according to the announcement. FireMon has also seen significant growth in the first half of 2015, including a nearly 40 percent year-over-year increase in bookings and a 45 percent increase in new customers.

“It is an exciting time for me to get back to what I love most – product innovation and strategy,” said Brazil. “The planets have aligned for us with Jim on board, and I have the utmost confidence in him and in the entire FireMon team to drive higher.” 

Lewandowski formerly held the CEO position at FireHost, a Dallas-based cloud hosting company prior to his appointment last month. He has also held senior leadership positions at companies including Rackspace, McAfee, Yahoo, BMC and IBM.

FireMon has been in the news a number of times in the past several months, including the company’s new distribution deal with WestConGroup and its acquisition of data analysis vendor Immediate Insight. Lewandowski’s hiring and subsequent promotion is the third in a recent string of executive shakeups, following the company’s hiring of former FishNet Security executives Brandy Peterson and John Van Blaricum earlier this year.