Channel Futures' Top Cybersecurity Leaders for 2024

With global cybersecurity spending continuing to rise and analysts expecting strong market growth, it’s a great time to be a cybersecurity channel leader.

We’ve identified the top 20 cybersecurity channel leaders of 2024, who have throughout their careers made a significant impact on the industry.

According to Canalys, global cybersecurity spending should reach $250 billion this year, growing at 12% year on year. And according to Fortune Business Insights, the market should exceed $562 billion by 2032, with the U.S. market exceeding $166.7 billion.

In terms of market size, there are more than 3,500 cybersecurity vendors in the United States alone, according to CyberDB.

Challenges Cybersecurity Channel Leaders Face

Matthew Ball, chief analyst at Canalys, said services is the strongest growth area in cybersecurity, with partners adding value on top of technology. Organizations have a lot of gaps in their cybersecurity posture and defenses, and there are always new layers of security that can be added as new threats emerge.

Canalys' Matthew Ball

“The partner has never been more important and that will continue to be so going forward because managing cybersecurity is complex,” he said. “Not every organization has a dedicated CISO or even dedicated security resources. They have IT resources, but they may not necessarily be specialists in security. So that's where partners really play a strong role and we do see the MSSP, the security service providers increasing their importance.”

Related:Channel Futures' Top Cloud Leaders of 2024

In the meantime, cybercriminals continue to up their game, creating mounting challenges for cyber defenders. Michelle Hodges, Ivanti's senior vice president of global channels and alliances, and one of our cybersecurity channel leaders, said the cyber threat landscape is constantly growing more complex and dangerous, and the rapid advancement of AI has only accelerated this trend.

"AI has the potential to reshape almost every aspect of cybersecurity, both positively and negatively," she said. "While AI can introduce new attack vectors, such as site hacking, data poisoning and deep fakes, it can also provide organizations with advanced threat detection, improved security response and effective risk assessment capabilities."

Our latest list of cybersecurity channel leaders includes both executives who have been in their current roles anywhere from 10 years to less than six months. Each has accomplished numerous milestones in the cybersecurity industry.

In addition to highlighting their accomplishments, we asked them what they see as the most significant trends in cybersecurity, and what it takes to be an effective cybersecurity channel leader.

Related:Channel Futures' Top EMEA Channel Leaders for 2024

Scroll through our slideshow above to learn about this year’s cybersecurity channel leaders.