Drew Schnabel
General Manager of US Government Solutions, Zscaler
Drew Schnabel cites a top public sector challenge for 2024 as monitoring the continually evolving threat landscape, and adding even more security to the cloud-based systems that will support the 2024 elections.
Shifting security to the cloud is another top challenge, he said. Some agencies are just beginning to map out their digital transformation journey while others are well on their way. Finding partners to meet the agency at any stage is critical.
Few organizations have invested at the level Zscaler has to meet the highest level of accreditations, ensuring its offerings provide customers with options to secure their mission critical systems, protect sensitive data and meet the standards government requires, he said. Finally, protecting and securing the potential threats that come with the emergence and rapid adoption of AI is quickly becoming a top challenge.
“Drew is the architect of our strategy for Zscaler’s U.S. Government Solutions team and the remarkable growth we’ve seen since his tenure, most recently with over 90% increase year over year in our federal business as multiple U.S. federal agencies standardize on Zscaler to meet the Cybersecurity Executive Order and Zero trust frameworks,” said Peter Amirkhan, senior vice president of public sector at Zscaler.
Why Watch
Schnabel and his team continue to focus on IT modernization, including transitioning to a true zero trust architecture, which is not a quick fix. They continue to prioritize educating and enabling agencies as a partner in their secure transformation.
The public sector team at Zscaler is also focused on its continued partnership in assisting federal systems integrators and their adoption of CMMC. Team members are working closely with the Defense Department as it moves to zero trust architecture, and continuing investments in supporting classified environments. Zscaler was recently awarded a CRADA to develop a classified environment by a DOD agency.
“I’m passionate about supporting the mission of the US government to secure users, data, and constituents,” Schnabel said. “I am also very passionate about building the best possible team to support our US government customers’ missions and develop the partnerships that are the basis for long-term success.”