Cybrary Snags Secureworks COO Kevin Hanes To Lead Company

Hanes started June 1 as CEO of cybersecurity workforce development platform Cybrary, and plans to focus on building out simulation exercises that are more realistic than labs but less intensive than cyber ranges.

Cybrary has hired longtime Secureworks Chief Operating Officer Kevin Hanes as CEO to help the workforce development platform deepen its tentacles in cybersecurity.

The College Park, Md.-based company has tasked Hanes with developing more of a channel sales motion as well as exercises that allow security practitioners to test their skills in real-world scenarios without having to set aside too much time. Hanes spent more than eight years as COO of cybersecurity services vendor Secureworks, and he replaces Cybrary co-founder Ryan Corey, who moved into an advisor role.

“Cybersecurity expertise was my number one concern [at Secureworks],” Hanes told CRN. “The pain point that I had and the solution that Cybrary has really got me interested in this job.”

[Related: Cybrary’s Answer To The Cybersecurity Talent Gap]

Hanes started at Cybrary June 1, and plans to focus on building out simulation exercises for customers that are more realistic than labs but less intensive than cyber ranges. Labs tend to be very focused on applying the learnings from a particular training, but in a real SOC (Security Operations Center), Hanes said there’s large volumes of incomplete and contradictory data that analysts need to act on quickly.

On the other side, Hanes said cyber ranges tend to be very time-consuming to set up, administer and run, and aren’t very realistic for security teams that only have an hour or two each week to devote to sharpening their skills. Hanes believes Cybrary can play a vital role in providing real-world experience to trained and certified cybersecurity professionals before they begin working in the SOC.

From a channel perspective, Hanes said Cybrary can play a vital role in helping solution providers upskill their own personnel and go deeper in learning how to protect specific verticals and technologies. And Cybrary is also looking to sell its cybersecurity training offerings more through the channel, especially in international markets like Japan, where Hanes said procuring through resellers is the norm.

“The opportunity out there is huge,” Hanes said. “We need to equip channel partners so that they can help us.”

Hanes is also looking to grow Cybrary’s headcount as employees face new cyber challenges as they return to the office following the COVID-19 pandemic. Cybrary is looking to hire for roles across its product management, sales, and IT organizations, according to Hanes.

From a metrics standpoint, Hanes said he’s focused on tracking growth as well as customer satisfaction. As far as growth is concerned, Hanes said Cybrary is focused both on lagging indicators like bookings and annual recurring revenue as well as leading indicators around the number of prospects on Cybrary’s platform and the conversion of visitors to demos and trials and ultimately signing up for paid offerings.

“Customers are using Cybrary for a reason,” Hanes said. “There’s too much cyber risk. Too many companies struggle with the basics of attracting, retaining and training people.”