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 Eric Trexler, senior vice president of public sector at Palo Alto Networks, and finalist in the Cybersecurity 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?
My biggest achievement this year, and every year with Palo Alto Networks, is helping public sector entities consolidate their cybersecurity networks. Palo Alto Networks is relentlessly focused on helping federal agencies modernize their cybersecurity efforts through consolidation that reduces the mean time to detect and respond to threats. Specifically, our platformization approach has reduced complexity and improved manageability by unifying capabilities into one management platform for our customers. Platformization reduces the number of vendors organizations need to track, lowering detection and response times while strengthening security postures across networks.
As public sector organizations continue to develop their cloud infrastructure, our team supports the development of cloud security architecture within any application or resource, regardless of location. Last year, Palo Alto Networks’ Prisma Access became the only technology to achieve Level 5 (IL5) Provisional Authorization (PA), allowing agencies to leverage cloud-delivered security to strengthen their Zero Trust strategies at a lower cost point.
Another achievement was securing the Department of Defense’s network infrastructure. My team and I supported the development of the DoD’s Zero Trust platform through a consistent architecture across appliance, software, and SASE form factors. This provided a modern, cloud-delivered SASE platform that aligns with Thunderdome’s goals of enhanced security, improved performance and simplified network architecture. Finally, I am always proud to speak at our second Public Sector Ignite Conference. I was proud to listen to my colleagues and other industry leaders discuss innovation and best practices for AI, Zero Trust, quantum computing, and platformization. My goal and our company’s overall goal is to meet organizations where they are and help them realize what is possible.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
Quantum computing-powered cyber attacks are coming far faster than most government executives are anticipating. In order to prepare, organizations will need to enable crypto-agility to thrive in the very near future. Classic encryption methods are predicted to become vulnerable to quantum-powered adversaries within the next 10 years. PQC introduces encryption algorithms specifically designed to combat the anticipated sophisticated attacks facilitated by quantum computers.
Palo Alto Networks is a proud partner of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and member of the Institute’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography. One of my primary focus areas is to help customers integrate these PQC standards and cryptographic agility into their cybersecurity systems. Crypto-agility involves rapid and seamless shifting cryptographic algorithms as vulnerabilities are discovered. Both play a pivotal role in safeguarding data integrity in the evolving cybersecurity landscape. Embracing this agility is crucial for public sector organizations relying on public key infrastructure cryptography as they navigate this new quantum migration era.
Palo Alto Networks helps government organizations at all levels move beyond basic cybersecurity measures towards modern attack surface management. Our Next-Generation Firewall supports the three new PQC standard algorithms. We want to continue having our customers proactively transition to these new encryption protocols to prevent adversary schemes, such as “harvest now, decrypt later,” where adversaries steal encrypted data today to be decrypted later. As NIST begins rolling out mandates for these shifts next year, Palo Alto Networks is working with agencies to test new technologies in advance of these deadlines.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
If I have learned anything in my 15 years in the cybersecurity industry, it’s that partnerships and great teams make us all better at our jobs. Usually, we don’t spend enough time together. 100% of the cybersecurity business is done through the channel ecosystem, and without it, our customers would not have access to the best security capabilities this world has to offer. But we cannot forget to collaborate as often as possible, whether in-person or virtually. It is important to have good partners on a personal and organizational level to make a difference and push yourself to be better.
In cybersecurity, much like in most career paths, you cannot succeed without a great team working with you. I’ve never worked for a company with a team or products of the caliber that we have at Palo Alto Networks. Engineering, product management, sales, marketing, legal, IT operations and more, words cannot describe the level of effort that these teams put in. By surrounding yourself with great teams in a great organization, it’s possible to make a difference. Because of teamwork like this, Palo Alto Networks is changing the way the world secures itself.
Fun Fact: What is something about you that most people do not know?
Something many people don’t know about me is that I love to scuba dive and fly. After several lessons, I am actively pursuing my private pilot’s license. Leaning into my passions and taking the time to enjoy them has helped me avoid burnout, which is critical especially in a field like cybersecurity.