Robert Herjavec on Managed Services, Identity and CEO Change

The fall of the perimeter has driven convergence between managed services and identity, and that trend informed the selection process for the new CEO at Cyderes, according to outgoing CEO Robert Herjavec.

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The “Shark Tank” star said individual people increasingly represent the new security perimeter amid the risk of remote work, making identity management crucial for future security strategies. Herjavec will step aside Tuesday as CEO of the nearly 1,000-person cybersecurity services titan he be founded back in 2003 and be replaced by Chris Schueler, who has led identity and access management MSSP Simeio since 2020 (see: Robert Herjavec Passes Cyderes CEO Role to Chris Schueler).

“We interviewed over 25 candidates at one point, and Chris was head and shoulders above any other candidate,” Herjavec said. “He comes from our industry, from managed services, and most recently was with an identity company. And we really believe that those two worlds are coming together. We think, with the fall of the perimeter, that identity will be a crucial part of an overall managed service solution.”

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Herjavec also discussed:

• The increased role of compliance in cybersecurity purchasing decisions;
• The rationale behind the sale to PE firm Apax Partners and merger with Fishtech;
• How social media can help with promoting cybersecurity best practices.

Herjavec has grown Cyderes from just two workers and $400,000 in sales to nearly 1,000 staff creating more than a billion dollars in value. He has served as a cybersecurity advisor for the Government of Canada and is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Task Force for Cybersecurity. Herjavec is well known for appearing since 2009 as an investor on the U.S. business reality TV series “Shark Tank.”