GreenPages CEO Ron Dupler: Secure Cloud Is ‘King’

‘Secure cloud is king,’ says GreenPages CEO Ron Dupler. ‘The paradigm change from traditional infrastructure to cloud and transformative technologies changes the threat landscape. We are making big investments in the security stack.’

With the cyberthreat landscape proliferating, cloud solution provider GreenPages is upping its investment in security services as part of an all out offensive to ensure that security is “king” as customers move at breakneck speed to implement digital transformation, said GreenPages CEO Ron Dupler.

“Secure cloud is king,” said Dupler in a keynote address to several hundred customers at the ninth annual GreenPages Cloudscape summit. “The paradigm change from traditional infrastructure to cloud and transformative technologies changes the threat landscape. We are making big investments in the security stack.”

As part of that security investment, GreenPages, No. 201 on the CRN 2019 SP500, is driving security services across every nook and cranny of its customer services offerings from infrastructure modernization to cloud enablement and operations to digital transformation.

GreenPages acquisition last September of cybersecurity superstar Norwell Technology Group has been key to the GreenPages secure cloud services offensive, said Dupler.

GreenPages customers said the GreenPages security offensive is helping them protect their businesses in the midst of a never-ending series of cyberattacks.

Kevin Hall, former CIO of GreenPages and now head of technology for ButcherBox.com, a born-in-the-cloud subscription service for 100 percent pasture-raised grass-fed meat, praised GreenPages for the stepped-up security charge.

“We are working on building out an infrastructure and security plan with GreenPages,” said Hall. “This is the perfect time for these security services. GreenPages made the right move at the right time with the Norwell Technology Group acquisition.”

Hall said the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which provides strict consumer protections on data security and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2019, will have a dramatic impact on how businesses implement security. “CCPA is a fundamental game changer,” he said. “This is like when auto emission regulations were implemented in the auto industry. There is a big change taking place with CCPA. Anyone doing business in California has to ensure their systems are secure according to California law. I think other states are going to follow this. Companies are going to have to comply.”

The chief security officer (CSO) for a software provider, which has worked with GreenPages, praised the national cloud solution provider’s ability to drive a secure architecture framework. “GreenPages has really good frameworks to evaluate risk,” said the CSO. “GreenPages helped us decide what was most important and where we should be focusing our initial efforts.”

In addition to the security services buildout, GreenPages has also stepped up its cloud services charge with cloud consumption advisory services, a cloud service provider operations unit and a Cloud Xcelerator Platform aimed at providing secure cloud reference architectures and templates. All of those services are backed up by a Cloud Business Office – a steering committee aimed at ensuring cloud objectives are met for GreenPages and its customers.

Dupler said all of the changes at GreenPages are aimed at helping customers compete successfully in the digital era.

“The world is fundamentally different for a professional technologist in corporate America than it was three to five years ago,” said Dupler. “The speed of business, the access to differentiating technologies, and the threats and opportunities that are out there in light of the new technologies available to transform businesses are all profound.”

The demands on IT executives in corporate America have never been greater, said Dupler.”You are expected to provide a great platform for your business that provides velocity and agility, but also be stewards of how the business adopts enabling technology to transform in the future- not an easy task.”

The key digital mandates for success in the digital era, said Dupler, are agility and innovation. “This is about driving business into the future, to transform customer experience and the supply chain,” he said. “It’s ultimately about competing effectively against disruption taking place in the industry you operate in or ultimately become a disrupter yourself, setting a new pace.”

The head of global IT operations for a multinational conglomerate, who did not want to be identified, said GreenPages has helped the company build out its Azure cloud platform. “GreenPages had that (cloud) experience and helped us with best practices,” said the executive.

A senior IT executive for a national insurer, who did not want to be identified, said GreenPages’ architecture, operations and security expertise has been critical in driving best practices for the Fortune 500 company. “I’m a fan,” said the 30-year IT veteran who praised GreenPages’ thought leadership around secure cloud architecture and operations.