Forescout appoints Rik Ferguson as security intelligence VP

• Career spans over 25 years
• Previously the vice president of Threat Research at Trend Micro

Forescout Technologies announced the appointment of Rik Ferguson (pic) as vice president of security intelligence.

In a statement the automated cybersecurity leader said with a career spanning more than 25 years, including 15 years as vice president of threat research at Trend Micro, Ferguson is a stalwart of the cybersecurity world.  

He is also a researcher, storyteller, and futurist, helping governments, law enforcement, businesses and individuals understand the complexities of technology and its intersection with cybercrime, the firm added.

It said Ferguson has taken deep dives into the cybercriminal underground and helped the wider world understand the threats of today and explored how those threats will change over time.

He is also a founding special advisor to Europol’s European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3), a multi-award-winning security professional recognised for his contribution to IT, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a board advisor to startups, and a world-renowned speaker.

“I am very excited to be joining Forescout at this point in its growth and journey,” said Ferguson.

He said Forescout is the first company that is taking an established platform of true visibility and building a cybersecurity solution on that rather than building a security product and attempting to retrofit visibility. 

“The firm has built a strong reputation for providing threat intelligence and data-driven insights to its customers and the wider security community and I am eager to add my expertise to this impressive team as we forge a bigger and bolder path in understanding and anticipating the future of threat and risk,” Ferguson said.

Ian Curry, chief marketing officer of Forescout, said the company is proud to have Ferguson join the team and work alongside its award-winning Vedere Labs research and threat analyst team. 

“Forescout is on a pivotal journey to build on its heritage, platform technology and grow out its best-in-class unique research, threat awareness and intelligence.

“Ferguson furthers our depth of knowledge and understanding of cyber criminals around the world and with the added insight of risk assessment and threat detection from our recent acquisition of Cysiv, we stand apart as a world expert in the cyber threat landscape helping organizations to proactively defend their organisations,” said Curry.

In addition to his professional work, Ferguson is also a co-founder of the Respect in Security initiative founded to support victims of harassment both online and in the workplace.