September 2019 brings two important milestones for Proofpoint, our broader ecosystem, and our community of customers and partners. First, we celebrated our 2000th customer and our 100th country served. Second, we saw the United States formally recognize September as National Insider Threat Awareness month – giving important recognition to the unique security threat that Proofpoint ITM was founded to address.
It has been more than three years since I joined the Proofpoint ITM team. I am proud to be part of the latest chapter in this incredible company’s story, and thrilled when I look at what the next several months have in store. I am also humbled to consider the history of this company and the role it is playing in shaping the understanding of Insider Threats, and in defining the Insider Threat Management category.
A Look Back at the History of Insider Threats - And Proofpoint ITM
Originally conceived to address the important problem of monitoring the activities of contractors with access to classified material, Proofpoint ITM's focus on both user and data analytics positions the company to uniquely address the challenges of 2019. While the Insider Threat vector has always existed, the magnitude and complexity of the threat surface has increased exponentially. Consider that when Proofpoint ITM was founded in 2006, inexpensive consumer USB drives were just becoming common. The first iPhone was introduced a year later, and the term BYOD did not exist yet. Dropbox had not been founded. Contractors had always been a part of the labor force, but the notion of the “Gig Economy” was not yet a consideration.
The ability to target the people side of Insider Threat as it evolved in lockstep with the forces of digital disruption enabled Proofpoint to be at the forefront of Insider Threat Management. Passion, execution, and fanatical customer focus lets us confidently claim the title of the leader in Insider Threat Management.
Insider Threat Awareness Month Signals Importance of the Problem
I felt gratified to learn that September was named National Insider Threat Awareness month by the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) and the National Insider Threat Task Force (NITTF). While the concept of the Insider Threat is not new, the nature of the world has changed. It is very easy to see recurring patterns in recent news headlines that capture this significance.
While threats to national security, financial stability and personal privacy get most of the recognition, the subject of reputation and brand integrity is also enormously important. The impact of insider-caused breaches can result in significant damage to the trust placed in companies, organizations, and governments. Proofpoint is committed to helping our customers guard their intellectual property, their customers’ privacy, their competitive advantages, and their reputations.
We are excited to be at the forefront of Insider Threat Management, and feel a responsibility to lead the industry in building solutions that address this uniquely complex threat vector. We look forward to working with our customers, partners, and the broader security community to equip modern organizations to deal with modern threats.
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