Phosphorus Cybersecurity™, the leading provider of advanced and full-scope security for Internet of Things devices, today announced the appointment of Obbe Knoop as Chief Revenue Officer.
As CRO, Obbe will oversee the company’s go-to-market strategy and lead its global sales and business development efforts. Obbe’s appointment marks the next step for Phosphorus Cybersecurity™, as the company prepares for rapid growth as the market-leading solution for enterprise IoT/OT security risk visibility, remediation, and management.
“Obbe is a world-class business executive with a remarkable track record in sales strategy and revenue growth, and we are excited to have him join the team,” said Chris Rouland, CEO of Phosphorus Cybersecurity™. “As someone who has played an important role in the emerging IoT and OT markets, Obbe understands the unique nature of our technology platform and the vital needs we address. New Smart Technologies are rapidly changing the world we live in for the better, but they are also introducing new security risks to organizations as billions of tiny smart devices add vast new challenges and vulnerabilities to corporate networks. Companies will now have to secure an attack surface that is 10 times larger than it once was and our mission is to provide an unrivaled level of security and leadership across all major industries.”
With over two decades of senior leadership roles in the security industry, Obbe brings extensive experience to his new role at Phosphorus Cybersecurity™. Most recently, Obbe served as Vice President of Emerging Markets for Armis, where he was responsible for the company’s expansion into the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Knoop also served as Vice President of Worldwide Sales at Nozomi Networks, where he oversaw impressive revenue growth for the company that led to its recognition as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 in 2019. Previously, Obbe served as Global Director of BigFix, where he established a business alliance with IBM that led to the company’s acquisition – the largest WW technology acquisition of that year. He subsequently served as IBM Security’s North American Industrial Security Business Unit Executive.
“The Internet of Things poses fundamental challenges to corporate cybersecurity that require new technologies and solutions,” said Obbe Knoop. “Phosphorus is in a unique position by providing the only technology platform that, outside of providing visibility into enterprise IoT/OT devices and risks like other IoT/OT security players, can actually remediate the devices and risks at scale. There is no other company that can currently provide this today and it truly addresses a unique market demand. I am thrilled to be joining such an innovative company and I look forward to working with their talented team.”
Obbe is the latest in a series of top executives who have recently joined Phosphorus Cybersecurity™, as the company expands its operations following a $38 million Series A earlier this year led by SYN Ventures. The company’s other recent executive appointments include former RSA President Art Coviello Jr. as Chairman of the Board of Directors, former Mandiant Vice President of Security Strategy Brian Contos as Chief Security Officer and prominent industry marketing veteran John Vecchi as Chief Marketing Officer.
Phosphorus Cybersecurity™ provides unprecedented IoT and OT defense solutions for enterprise customers. Through its automated security solutions against critical vulnerabilities, Phosphorus Cybersecurity™ enables organizations to scale IoT and OT technologies without adding additional employees to secure them.
Phosphorus Cybersecurity™ has found that 20% to 30% of today’s corporate networks consist of IoT devices, with little to no security programs in place. Across today’s enterprises, as high as 25-30% of all IoT devices are end-of-life and no longer supported with firmware updates by their manufacturer. Additionally, as many as 50% of IoT devices have known vulnerabilities or default passwords, with 20% of these vulnerabilities being critical CVEs (CVSS score of 9 or above). As an example of these current risks, Phosphorus Cybersecurity™ has recently observed hackers exploiting vulnerable IoT systems – including door controllers and camera systems – in order to launch ransomware attacks inside US company networks.
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