Best Wishes for 2024 from Ben

As we reflect on the cybersecurity and cloud landscape in 2023, it’s been a year filled with dynamic shifts, activity, and a touch of uncertainty. The tech sector faced challenges, including talent shortages and recession concerns, leading to notable layoffs in major companies.

Despite these hurdles, the need for robust cybersecurity remained constant, resulting in a steady stream of mergers and acquisitions. In the first half of 2023 alone, over 210 cybersecurity-related deals were announced, underscoring the industry’s resilience.

Among these transactions were Palo Alto Networks strategic moves, acquiring Dig Security and Talon Cyber Security for a combined total of nearly 1 billion dollars. Other notable acquisitions included Proofpoint’s agreement with Tessian, Rubrik’s acquisition of Laminar, Thales’ purchase of Imperva for 3.6 billion dollars, and Netskope acquiring Adiska.

Furthermore, several vendors in our portfolio secured substantial investment funds, with Netskope leading at 401 million dollars, followed by SentinelOne’s 270 million dollars in Series C funding, and Palo Alto Networks securing 120 million dollars.

In the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI) security, “Protect AI” made headlines by acquiring huntr and launching a bug bounty program. This development highlighted concerns surrounding AI, including trust, ethics, and cybersecurity.

Looking ahead to 2024, data security emerges as a top priority, driven by the rise of GenAI, increased data access across organizations, and expanding data volumes. Key focus areas include SASE/SSE & Zero Trust, cloud security, automation, IT-OT convergence, and security optimization.

At Exclusive Networks, our commitment to delivering value-added services remains unwavering. We continuously invest in our technical teams, knowledge, exposure, and experience. Our unique advantage lies in the Exclusive Networks’ services, distinguishing us as leaders in the field.

Our consulting and professional services have evolved to add value throughout the customer journey, offering capabilities globally. We are proud to announce that Exclusive Networks has been recognized as a 2023 IT & Technical Training Watchlist Company by Training Industry Inc.

In line with tradition, we’ve expanded our portfolio with exciting additions: CYMULATE, a provider of automated continuous security testing, and CUBBIT, a European-based next-generation cloud object storage provider.

Exclusive Networks BeLux remains committed to investing in expertise, value, and quality. We’ve established a new 4-member strong SMB team and launched our customer portal, Exclusive Access, enhancing our services.

We express our gratitude to our reseller partners, vendors, and end customers for your continued commitment, support, and trust. Your feedback is invaluable, and we’ll be launching a survey in late January 2024 to enhance our performance and serve you even better in the future.

Wishing you a prosperous, successful, and secure 2024!

Ben Aelbrecht

Regional Director BeNeLux at Exclusive Networks