The Gately Report: ConnectWise CISO Talks Strengthened Security Post-Attacks

ConnectWise CISO Patrick Beggs said there’s a reason cybercriminals haven’t succeeded in their attacks on the company for at least the past year.

Beggs took the role of ConnectWise CISO in February of last year. Before that, he was Cognizant’s global head of security operations. And before rejoining the private sector, he held top cybersecurity leadership roles in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

We spoke with Beggs at last week’s IT Nation Secure in Orlando. ConnectWise unveiled new solutions, and offerings from strategic vendors, to help MSPs grow and better secure their customers.

In 2020, ConnectWise was hit with ransomware via vulnerabilities in ConnectWise Automate. And last year, ConnectWise Control was deployed by bad actors in cyberattacks.

ConnectWise CISO Has ‘Security First Mindset’

Beggs said one of the prerequisites when he joined ConnectWise was a “security first mindset,” not to say there wasn’t already a similar mindset in place.

ConnectWise’s Patrick Beggs

“The last thing I’m going to do is jinx myself because there can always be something out there that no one knows about from a detection capability standpoint,” he said. “It’s not an if, it’s a when, and it’s how you handle the when. That’s how we’ve gotten so much better. And it’s just discipline. I brought in amazing talent that I’ve worked with in the past, new talent that I’ve discovered, the right technology in the right places. Again, you’re as good as your last scorecard. That’s the way we take it.”

ConnectWise’s vulnerability management program is “world class,” Beggs said.

“I have a board that holds us accountable,” he said. “I report to a board member in a committee. So that’s another dynamic that I think probably stands us out. It’s like re-upping your contract, and they know what they’re talking about. These are industry leaders, experts in cyber. I think that’s probably a differentiator as well, having that accountability at the board level. And if a CISO doesn’t have accountability to the board level, someone should ask why.”

Scroll through our slideshow above for more from Beggs and more cybersecurity news.