INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS & ACQUISITIONS
Palo Alto Networks completes acquisition of CyberArk to secure the AI era
Palo Alto Networks has announced the completion of its acquisition of CyberArk, establishing Identity Security as a core pillar of its platformisation strategy.
The addition of the CyberArk Identity Security Platform enables Palo Alto Networks to secure every identity across the
enterprise, including human, machine and agentic identities.
Identity security has become foundational to protecting the modern enterprise. As organisations scale cloud, automation and Artificial Intelligence, identity has emerged as the primary attack path, driven by the rapid growth of human, machine and AI identities operating continuously with elevated access. Attackers increasingly exploit identity weaknesses, making credential abuse and excessive privilege dominant threat vectors.
The acquisition of CyberArk addresses this shift by extending privilege security controls beyond a narrow set of administrators to every identity across the enterprise. By reducing standing privileges and limiting lateral movement, organisations can stop identity-based attacks faster and improve breach response times.
CyberArk’ s Identity Security solutions will continue to be available as a standalone platform, while integration is underway to infuse its capabilities into the Palo Alto Networks security ecosystem.
Nikesh Arora, Chairman and CEO of Palo Alto Networks, said:“ The emerging wave of AI agents will require us to secure every identity, human, machine and agent. Our customers can now manage privileged access across their entire hybrid cloud environment from a single trusted platform.”
Cisco appoints new Vice President and General Manager to lead Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania and CIS
Cisco, a global leader in networking and security, has announced that Shane Heraty has been appointed as the Vice President and General Manager for Cisco Middle East, Africa, Türkiye, Romania and CIS( MEA – TRC).
Effective from May 1, he will oversee Cisco’ s strategy and commercial operations in the region, and help customers and partners strengthen their security, modernise their workplaces and build the critical infrastructure for AI.
Heraty brings a wealth of experience to the position, with an extensive 30- year background in global and regional technology, including more than 20 years at Cisco. Most recently, he led Cisco Africa, where he drove Cisco’ s investment strategy across the continent and fast-tracked the Cisco Country Digital Acceleration( CDA) programme in multiple countries in Africa.
Shane Heraty
Previously, Heraty held several key leadership roles, including three years as General Manager for Cisco Qatar, where he lived for nearly a decade. He also led Cisco’ s business across Scotland, Ireland and Commercial UKI. His experience spans the partner ecosystem, service providers and enterprise organisations, giving him a comprehensive perspective on the evolving technology landscape.
“ I am honoured to take on this new role,” said Heraty.“ The region is a hub of innovation. With Cisco’ s advanced technology, talented local teams, and trusted partner ecosystem, we are uniquely positioned to accelerate digitalisation and AI adoption, boost economies and create lasting value for communities across the region.” •
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