CyberRatings.org Announces Non-Profit Status

AUSTIN, Texas – March 23, 2021 –  CyberRatings.org, established in December 2020, has launched a non-profit entity to offer the widest range of independent, evidence-based services to its members and the cybersecurity community at large.

Peter Armstrong, The Senior Cyber Subject Matter Expert at Munich Re Group, is joining the CyberRatings.org Board of Directors. Armstrong’s expertise is in cyber risk management and quantification of cyber risk exposure for large organizations. He is a thought leader in developing responses to cyber risk capital issues facing the very largest industrial enterprises, the enterprise risk management challenges they face and the necessary insurance responses. He is a Fellow of the United Kingdom’s Institute of Directors.

Armstrong operated in the Defense, Intelligence and Security Sector leading cyber defense activities with a focus on industrial control systems and operational technology inEnergy (including Nuclear), Utilities, Transportation, Primary Industries and manufacturing (notably Aviation, Automotive, Capital Projects and High Tech).

“As the pace of technology adoption increases, particularly cloud and edge technologies, it’s critical for enterprises to select appropriate cyber defense technologies and be confident that those technologies are fit for purpose. This will require broad-based, independent, evidence-based testing of the capabilities of those technologies because not all vendors’ claims withstand scrutiny. I’m delighted to be part of the establishment of CyberRatings.org as the non-profit provider of independent testing and ratings of these important cyber technologies,” said Armstrong. “The cyber threat train is leaving the station: effectiveness visibility delivered through testing and ratings will help make sure we’re not left queueing at the ticket office.”

“We are delighted to have Peter’s insights and expertise,” said Vikram Phatak, Chairman and CEO. “His cyber risk management expertise is key to helping us build impactful, scalable programs.

As the global economy emerges from the pandemic, digital transformation is accelerating with the breadth of the cyber threat landscape growing fast. The reliance on cyber defense technology vendors has never been greater. “Unfortunately, not all technologies are created equal. A ratings system serves as a universal translator to help consumers understand their options.” adds Phatak.

Also joining the Board are Cathy Main, President; and Carma Austin, Executive Vice President. Main has 30 years of experience in executive management and strategic business development. Her last position was at NSS Labs as Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Relations. Austin has over 25 years of technology industry experience in developing go to market strategies for both enterprise and channel sales organizations. She was most recently at IBM serving as Worldwide Leader Security Intelligence SaaS, and prior, served as Vice President of Sales for NSS Labs.

Registered as a 501(c)6, CyberRatings.org programs will initially focus on becoming a center of excellence for cybersecurity in three areas: a) security product testing, b) self-assessment programs, and c) how-to guides. The laboratory testing environment and subsequent ratings publications are the first step, with ratings programs underway since the organization’s inception. Going forward, CyberRatings intends to provide members with methodologies, procedures and tools to do their own testing. These self-assessment tools will help people to better understand their organization’s risk by identifying how a product is performing in the field and uncovering problems that might otherwise go undetected.

CyberRatings has already published Product Ratings on Enterprise Firewall + SSL/TLS and Software Defined Wide Area Networks (SD-WAN) in the past three months.

Additional Resources

• Follow CyberRatings.org on Twitter
• Follow CyberRatings.org on LinkedIn
• View Enterprise Firewall Ratings and Publications
• View SD-WAN Ratings and Publications