New Claroty CEO Thorsten Freitag To Drive IT, OT Security Convergence

New CEO Thorsten Freitag intends to focus on making Claroty’s data more consumable for IT departments through simplification and by adding more features, functions and resources into the GUI (graphical user interface).

Rising industrial cybersecurity star Claroty has snagged industry veteran Thorsten Freitag to help organizations better close the gap between IT and OT responsibilities in security.

The New York-based vendor has up until now spoken primarily with OT (operational technology) personnel since that’s where the need originated and how Claroty got drawn into the project in the first place, Freitag told CRN. But in doing so, Freitag said Claroty has sometimes missed out on really understanding what IT teams need when they’re first engaging with the OT side of the organization.

“To me, this is a completely untapped market,” Freitag told CRN.

[Related: Siemens-Backed Claroty Expands OT Security Platform To Monitor IoT]

Freitag started Oct. 1 as Claroty’s CEO following more than a year as chief revenue officer at data protection vendor Druva. His more than 15 years in security include a global leadership position at network security player Infoblox, regional leadership roles at F5 Networks and Cisco Systems, as well as a regional leadership role at infrastructure giant Siemens Enterprise Communications.

Freitag intends to focus on making Claroty’s data more consumable for IT departments through simplification, adding more features, functions and resources into the GUI (graphical user interface), and creating interfaces into the other tools IT teams are already using.

Specifically, Freitag said he hopes to better align Claroty’s products with the ticketing, asset management, security management, and SIEM (security information and event management) tools available in the market today so that the product better fits into the existing IT landscape.

All told, Freitag said IT departments most need visibility and asset management when looking to get an engagement with Claroty off the ground. When used properly, Freitag said Claroty’s technology can help give IT personnel visibility in the security situation in OT environments like factories.

Similarly, Freitag said he hopes to better differentiate Claroty’s partner programs, certifications and enablement going forward to account for the different requirements and expectations for IT partners as compared with OT partners.

Partnerships with Claroty’s IT partners tend to be most focused on asset management or integrating into a company’s Security Operations Center (SOC), Freitag said. Claroty’s OT partners, meanwhile, are called upon to provide response and migration services and manage or upgrade Siemens or Schneider Electric infrastructure found on factory floors, according to Freitag.

But most organizations are structured in a way that keeps IT partners far away from the plant manager, plant subcontractors, or the factory floor, Freitag said. Freitag said his IT background is entirely with channel-centric organizations, and he hopes to focus on helping IT and OT channel partners alike develop more services around Claroty’s technology.

“Get ready for a big security revolution as the security of IT and the security of OT converge,” Freitag said.

Claroty was founded in 2015, employs 180 people, and has raised $100 million in three rounds of outside funding. Company co-founder Amir Zilberstein previously served as Claroty’s CEO.