Episode 272 Deep Dive: Wendy Thomas | Rethinking Trust and Security

In this episode, we’re joined by Wendy Thomas, CEO of Secureworks, as she talks about the pivotal importance of truth and consistency in executive and marketing communications, emphasizing the need for companies to demonstrate genuine change and sustained effort over time. She elaborates on the key elements of a sincere apology and recovery, pointing out the importance of understanding, action, and compensation to rebuild trust with customers. Wendy further emphasizes the economic lens through which trust and security should be viewed, underlining the interconnectedness and dependence on technology in daily life. Additionally, she addresses the harm of giving away personal data, the impact of data breaches, and the trade-off between security and convenience for businesses, ultimately calling for shared responsibility and collective investment in building trust and enhancing security.

As CEO, Wendy Thomas leads Secureworks to fulfill their purpose of securing human progress via innovative, battle-tested security solutions. She first joined Secureworks in 2008 leading Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), where she helped to execute strategic acquisitions that scaled the business and Secureworks’ IPO in 2016. As Strategy lead and Chief Product Officer, she developed the vision for Secureworks’ future, fueling the team that built and launched Secureworks® Taegis™. Prior to becoming CEO, Wendy served as President of Customer Success, where she drove a customer-centric approach to help organizations achieve better security outcomes. In this role, Wendy was recognized in the number one position in The Software Report’s “Top 25 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity of 2021.”

Wendy leverages over 25 years of experience in strategic and functional leadership roles, and has worked across multiple technology-driven companies such as FirstData, BellSouth, and Internap Network Services, Inc. Wendy is a graduate of the University of Virginia, with a double major in Economics and Foreign Affairs, and she holds an International MBA from the University of South Carolina School of Business.

Wendy currently serves on the Board at IonQ, an industry leader in quantum computing. Additionally, she serves as a Liaison for AFS Intercultural Programs, an international youth exchange organization, and is a member of The Executive Committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Wendy is an alumna of Leadership Midtown Atlanta, a program designed to propel established leaders to further serve their communities.

About Secureworks

Secureworks Taegis™, is a SaaS-based, open XDR platform built on 20+ years of real-world detection data, security operations expertise, and threat intelligence and research. Taegis is embedded in the security operations of thousands of organisations around the world including in Australia who use its advanced, AI-driven capabilities to detect advanced threats, streamline and collaborate on investigations, and automate the right actions.

Secureworks generated $85.7 million in revenue for Q1FY25, with revenue from its Taegis platform growing 10% year-over-year in the first quarter, to $69.1 million. Taegis adoption in Australia is accelerating. The company processes approximately five trillion cybersecurity-related events across its global customer base each week, giving Secureworks a rapidly growing and diverse security telemetry of more than 50 petabytes across endpoint, network, cloud, identity and other business systems.