Secureworks CEO Wendy Thomas has been with the company since 2008 and has served as CEO for almost three years.
In an exclusive interview with TechDay, she shared insights into Secureworks’ operations, challenges and strategies in the ever-evolving cybersecurity field.
“Secureworks has been a cybersecurity leader for over 25 years with customers in over 60 countries,” Thomas said. “Our team of security experts leverages our cloud-native platform, Taegis, to protect thousands of customers around the world from all types of cyber attacks, including ransomware.”
Secureworks operates worldwide, with significant operations centers in North America, Europe, Bucharest, Japan and Australia/New Zealand.
“We have a pretty large footprint, with offices in India, Japan and Singapore,” Thomas said, highlighting the company’s global reach.
Secureworks was founded in Atlanta in 1999 and has been active in the Asia Pacific region for just over a decade, employing more than 250 “teammates” in the region.
When discussing market trends, Thomas highlighted the holistic approach Secureworks takes to cybersecurity.
“We don’t sell a single product or service just to protect a specific part of a customer’s network,” she said. “We offer comprehensive protection across the entirety of their assets to customers of all sizes, including NGOs, corporations and universities.”
This approach ensures comprehensive protection and fosters a partnership rather than a vendor-customer relationship.
One of the key challenges for Secureworks’ customers is future-proofing security as they undergo digital transformation. Thomas explains: “There’s no organization that isn’t looking to adopt the latest technology tools and trends, and AI is definitely one of the big ones right now. We help organizations mature their technology so they can digitally grow their business, while ensuring security at every step.”
Secureworks’ customer base spans a variety of industries and sizes. Thomas cited examples such as a global mining and manufacturing organization and a small financial institution in rural America. “Large or small, whatever your industry, we deliver the same outcome: protecting digital assets, information and customers,” she said.
Speaking of customer success stories, Thomas highlighted the importance of addressing the cybersecurity talent gap.
“Our clients need exceptional experts in a specific field — maybe a government agency that’s under attack from a specific nation-state threat group — and we bring deep expertise in a specialized area of cybersecurity,” she explained.
Secureworks has an average time to detection of less than one minute and an average time to containment of less than 30 minutes, which Thomas believes is “critical to preventing significant damage from cyber attacks.”
“There’s a concept of dwell time – the time an attacker has to get onto a network and look for something of value to steal or lock down with ransomware. This dwell time is shortening, so the time it takes to contain is crucial to ensuring that organizations don’t fall victim to it,” Thomas emphasized.
Australian organisations can leverage AI while defending against new threats. “AI is used to make old attacks harder to detect and introduce new threats such as deepfakes,” says Thomas. Secureworks helps organisations detect AI-driven cyber attacks, ensuring strong protection against evolving risks.
When discussing the top cyber priorities for Australian businesses, Thomas emphasised the importance of defence in depth: “Using multiple layers of technology is key to securing your organisation and maintaining visibility and protection. SecureWorks helps integrate different technology configurations and provides native security controls,” she noted.
Thomas believes Secureworks’ holistic approach to security is what sets it apart from competitors: “We’re outcomes-driven. We leverage our technology and team of experts to help our customers remain fully secure and resilient,” she said.
Secureworks boasts a loyal customer base that includes large non-governmental organizations that perform disaster relief efforts worldwide.
“Protecting organizations that operate in remote areas or regions with poor infrastructure requires secure communications and location protection,” Thomas explains. About 10 percent of Secureworks’ clients are state and local governments, while the rest are large NGOs and corporations.
“Our mission is to ensure human progress by outwitting and outsmarting our adversaries,” Thomas said.
Secureworks has grown significantly since its founding, reaching more than $300 million in annual recurring revenue and returning to profitability last year after significant technology investments. “We have consistently demonstrated the ability and vision to transform how security is approached,” she said.
The company’s comprehensive approach to cybersecurity provides peace of mind to its customers.
“We want cybersecurity to be something you don’t have to wake up worrying about at night,” Thomas said.
Secureworks is at the forefront of cybersecurity, adapting to new threats and ensuring our customers remain protected in an increasingly digital world.
