The finalists for WashingtonExec’s 2024 Pinnacle Awards were announced Sept. 20, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 21.
Next is Joe Sangiuliano, regional vice president of public sector, Prisma Cloud, at Palo Alto Networks, and finalist in the Cloud Executive of the Year, Public Company, category. Here, he talks about recent achievements, shares career advice and more.
What key achievements did you have in 2024?
One of my key achievements this past year was contributing to Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Cloud’s fiscal year 2024 growth. We became the first pure-play cloud security business to reach over $700 million in annual recurring revenue. As part of my passion for solving complex strategic customer challenges, I am helping my team expand our public sector capabilities with existing FedRAMP Moderate Environment, StateRAMP Authorized, and FedRAMP High Authority to operate authorizations.
I also played a key role in the modernization efforts under StateRAMP, including the Medicaid Management Information System, that rely heavily on cloud computing. The benefits of these technologies, from scalable infrastructure to robust data storage and processing, are helping government agencies and educational organizations streamline processes and improve the user experience of those who need them.
As cyberthreats increase in complexity and scale, helping state, local and educational institutions with the authorization process helps them take a unified approach to cloud security that increases visibility into assets while simplifying compliance reporting. My efforts alongside my team help public sector organizations create and deploy innovative cloud solutions while navigating the complex regulatory environment.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
I want to continue empowering customers to bring all of their cyber capabilities together in a platform approach to cloud security. By helping them break down out-of-date security measures, we are creating a new comprehensive approach that enhances their cybersecurity resilience.
Customers need better visibility into their critical data and cloud assets while simplifying compliance reporting. By applying cybersecurity best practices throughout the entire cloud-native application lifecycle that Palo Alto Networks provides, agencies and educational organizations can identify attack paths and trace their security weaknesses to their origin, ensuring they can detect and respond to breaches in real time.
I want to continue providing customers with unparalleled cybersecurity options as they evolve their cloud infrastructure. Emerging and existing technologies, such as AI and machine learning, can help agencies and educational organizations gain greater visibility into their cloud assets, detect and respond to threats quickly, and improve decision-making. It is critical to empower federal, state, and local government agencies as well as educational organizations to leverage these technologies to safeguard constituent and national security.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
It is so important to take pride in what you do, especially when it involves protecting the public. In my 30 years of sales and sales leadership, I’m most proud of my ability to articulate the honest capability of the products and public sector solutions I represented to my customers, sales teams and partners. This mindset has helped me to expand Palo Alto Networks’ public sector capabilities with existing FedRAMP Moderate Environment, StateRAMP Authorized, and FedRAMP High Authority to operate authorizations. I help customers recognize where they have opportunities to grow and walk side-by-side with them to grow their capabilities.
Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know?
I’m very passionate about our work with the various charities Palo Alto Networks supports, including The Epilepsy Foundation, NIH Children’s Inn, and the PKD Foundation. I’ve seen firsthand the impact they have in improving the lives of countless individuals, and I am proud to play my part in uplifting the communities Palo Alto Networks touches. Outside of that, I try to spend as much of my free time as I can traveling and being outdoors, whether it’s golfing or coaching kids’ sports.