Monday Morning Impact – September 5

BeyondTrust Survey Focuses on Management of Privileged Access

BeyondTrust, a Phoenix-based security vendor, has unveiled the results of its Privilege Benchmarking Study based on a worldwide survey of more than 500 IT professionals.

Among the key findings, only 14 percent of the respondents regularly cycle their passwords, while 63 percent (2016 Verizon DBIR) of confirmed data breaches involving weak, default or stolen passwords. More than 90 percent of top-tier companies have a centralized password management policy while only 25 percent of bottom-tier organizations. Password cycling is also much more common among top-tier businesses; 76 percent of top-tiers frequently have passwords changed, whereas only 14 percent of bottom-tiers do.

Top-tier companies are also more likely to actually conduct vulnerability assessments (91 percent) compared to just 20 percent of bottom-tier organizations.

Despite the risks of leaving users and systems with unmanaged access to network resources, only 9 percent of bottom-tier companies have an enterprise solution in place for managing privileged access, and more than one-third do nothing at all. Among the top-tier companies, however, 78 percent have an enterprise solution in place.

The survey also found that despite a high level of awareness of the threat, federal government agencies leave themselves open to attack. Seventy-two percent of government responders believe that there would be a high risk to general business and mission information if organizations lacked proper access control for privileged users. The respondents also report that 20 percent of users have more privileges than they need.

The vendor recommends that organizations implement granular least privilege policies to balance security with productivity. Use vulnerability assessments to achieve a holistic view of privileged security. Evaluate individual application and asset risk before granting privileged access. Reinforce enterprise password protection. As the first line of defense, establish a policy that requires regular password rotation and centralizes the credential management process. Establish real-time monitoring and termination capabilities are vital to mitigating a data breach as it happens.

Channel Impact^®
The study demonstrates that organizations adhering to best practices for privileged access management are significantly better at mitigating the risks of a data breach which, in many cases, can be preventable with proper precautions. This condition translates to a solid opportunity for the channel.

Palo Alto Networks Appoints New Sales Leadership

Palo Alto Networks has named Dave Peranich as Santa Clara-based security company’s new executive vice president of worldwide sales, reporting to Mark Anderson, who has been promoted to president and is now in charge of overall go-to-market strategy.

Peranich has held several sales leadership roles over a nine-year tenure at Riverbed Technology, including senior vice president of worldwide sales; and president of worldwide field operations. Previous roles include leadership positions at Centrata, Siebel Systems, Remedy Corporation and Oracle.

“I am thrilled and honored to be joining Palo Alto Networks,” said Peranich. “I look forward to leading the sales and channel organization as we expand our global reach and redefine security in the digital age.”

Channel Impact^®
Solid moves under way as the company seeks to maintain the momentum that was established earlier in its history.

Imperva Upgrades its Channel Program

Imperva, Inc. a Redwood Shores, Calif.-based cybersecurity company, has introduced its revamped channel program.

“We have rebooted the Imperva PartnerSphere program based on direct feedback from our partners, said Karl Soderlund, vice president of worldwide channels and alliances at Imperva. “The program also offers flexible licensing models to meet diverse customer requirements, including perpetual, SaaS and subscription-based options, which allow partners to address new opportunities to grow revenue streams.”

Changes include a more competitive deal registration program, expanded partner training, and updated marketing features.
Turnkey marketing programs that leverage Imperva best practices to streamline sales opportunity creation.

Channel Impact^®
The changes focus on key areas that are often viewed as most important to channel partners.