Ontinue hires cybersecurity experts for leadership roles

Ontinue, the managed detection and response division of Open Systems, has today announced the additions of Craig Jones and Gareth Lindahl-Wise as its VP of Security Operations and CISO, respectively. Jones and Lindahl-Wise will play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of Ontinue as the company is pioneering novel uses of AI and automation to accelerate the detection and response to cyber threats faster than ever before.

Many organisations have become increasingly vulnerable to the latest threats due to their digital transformation efforts, which have resulted in expanding attack surfaces, increasing cloud usage and the growing complexity caused by too many security tools. Though many organisations have engaged managed extended detection and response (MXDR) service providers for help, most providers cannot fully modernize or scale their customers' operations to counter current and future threats. The Ontinue ION MXDR service is specifically developed to overcome these shortcomings in several ground-breaking ways, including the first Microsoft Teams-based collaboration model for seamless real-time communication between SecOps, IT and all other security stakeholders.

Craig Jones brings more than 15 years of cybersecurity experience to Ontinue. As the Vice President of Security Operations, Jones is responsible for overseeing Ontinue's four SOCs distributed across the globe and the teams staffing them. He comes to Ontinue after spending eight years with the cybersecurity solutions provider Sophos. As Senior Director of Global Security Operations, he directed all operational aspects of Sophos' worldwide security program. Jones is also a frequent speaker and noted thought leader, recognised as an expert in incident response, SIEM, SOC detection, SOC automation and threat intelligence.

Gareth Lindahl-Wise comes to Ontinue via its acquisition of Tiberium, a provider of highly automated managed security services based on Microsoft security solutions. He has more than 20 years of IT and security expertise. A founding director of Tiberium, Lindahl-Wise was its Chief Security Advisor, responsible for ensuring the company's services and offerings delivered outcomes that mattered. He was focused on driving innovation that was of the utmost importance to customers.

"Craig and Gareth bring us tremendous experience in understanding the ever-expanding threat landscape and strengthening security program efficacy and maturity. Adding their insights to our ION MXDR service, which redefines MDR with advanced collaboration and automation, enables us to provide customers better detection, response - and ultimately prevention capabilities - as we expand in existing and net-new markets," said Geoff Haydon, the CEO of Ontinue. "By bringing on Craig and Gareth we're doubling down on our commitments to strengthening customers' cyber resilience, to fully leveraging Microsoft investments they've already made, and to ensuring Ontinue is always the most trusted MXDR service provider to partners and customers alike."

"This is what attracted me to Ontinue. Its ION MXDR service's combination of advanced collaboration, AI-driven automation and four world-class SOCs distributed strategically around the world make it the MXDR solution that others aspire to be," said Jones. "With the complexity of the global threat environment constantly increasing, it's imperative that organisations have 24/7 protection that can scale as needed. This is not easy and working with an MXDR provider is the best way to accomplish this."

"As a CISO I understand the challenges that other CISOs face. From the ongoing lack of cyber talent and the self-defeating complexity of multivendor stacks, to the need to modernise their security operations to protect their expanding attack surfaces from ever more complex threats," said Lindahl-Wise. "I am excited to be part of the Ontinue team and working with my new colleagues in our mission to be an always-on trusted partner that goes beyond traditional MDR solutions."

The addition of these veteran cybersecurity experts will help Ontinue expand and scale its operations to serve new markets and achieve its mission to be the most trusted 24/7 security partner, empowering organizations to operate more strategically and with less risk. Ontinue is also pioneering novel uses of AI and automation to accelerate the detection and response to threats faster than ever before. Complementing these advanced capabilities of the ION platform is the deep Microsoft security expertise of Ontinue's ION staff, which enables customers to maximise the capabilities of their Microsoft security investments.

"By bringing on Craig and Gareth we're doubling down on our commitments to strengthening customers' cyber resilience, to fully leveraging Microsoft investments they've already made, and to ensuring Ontinue is always the most trusted MXDR service provider to partners and customers alike," said CEO Geoff Haydon.