High Wire Networks Appoints Edward Vasko as CEO and Mark Dallmeier as CRO of Overwatch

New Management Appointments to Accelerate Growth and Development of High Wire’s Overwatch Managed Cybersecurity Services

BATAVIA, Ill., Sept. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI), a leading global provider of managed cybersecurity, has appointed Edward Vasko, CISSP, as chief executive officer and Mark Dallmeier as chief revenue officer of the company’s Overwatch managed cybersecurity services division.

Over the last few months, Vasko has been serving as a strategic advisor to Overwatch. In his new role as CEO, he brings to the position more than 30 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, including leading business formation and development, driving rapid growth, and executing strategic M&As and exits.

As a highly respected industry thought leader, he has addressed the national cybersecurity workforce development requirements needed to protect the United States and its allies.

Prior to joining High Wire, he served as the director of Boise State University’s Institute of Pervasive Cybersecurity, a leader in cybersecurity research and host of the competency development hub known as the Cyberdome.

“Ed brings to us a wealth of knowledge and experience, having founded and led several cybersecurity organizations into becoming global industry leaders,” stated High Wire CEO, Mark Porter. “I’m confident Ed is the right leader to propel Overwatch to the next level of success, and help us capture more market share in the cybersecurity space with a focus on growing and maturing our partner community."

Vasko commented: “Over the last few months as an advisor to Overwatch, I’ve come to understand the exceptional potential of the company’s cybersecurity ecosystem. Composed of U.S.-based security analysts and practitioners, best-in-class AI technology, and customer-focused processes, it enables our partners to provide their customers the most effective solutions on the market today.”

“Building from a solid foundation of capabilities and trust, we plan to engage new markets, develop additional service offerings, and continue to enhance our customer experience,” added Vasko. “These efforts will help further expand and strengthen our channel partner network, as we deliver value and outcome-driven managed cybersecurity services to their clients.”

In the new position of chief revenue officer, Dallmeier brings to Overwatch 27 years of accomplishment in taking technology and managed services companies into ‘hypergrowth.’ As the CEO of The ROBB Group, a provider of management consulting for emerging growth companies, his strategies have helped companies to generate more than $1.8 billion in new revenue streams.

His executive leadership has involved strategic planning, corporate and market analysis, sales and marketing strategy, and branding, and driving transformation within the technology, cybersecurity, and managed security service provider (MSSP) space.

“As a seasoned senior executive, Mark’s extensive experience and proven track record in driving corporate growth and transformation makes him a highly valuable asset to Overwatch,” noted Porter. “We anticipate his expertise in sales and marketing, combined with his ability to build strong relationships that drive revenue, will lead to significant growth and market expansion for Overwatch. We anticipate this scale-up to support operational profitability later this year.”

Dallmeier commented: “I share Ed’s assessment of the tremendous capabilities and value Overwatch brings to its channel partners and the businesses they serve. I see the recurring revenue generated from the currently more than $10.4 million in total contract value for Overwatch’s managed cybersecurity services as just the beginning of a significant ramp up ahead.”

“Our positive outlook is supported by strong industry tailwinds, as the demand has never been stronger for AI-powered cybersecurity solutions like Overwatch,” added Dallmeier “The company is now in the right place at the right time with the right solutions for addressing today’s most challenging cyber threats.”

The company has also appointed Michael Lieder as senior director of Overwatch Service Delivery and Products.

Edward Vasko Bio

Prior to Boise State University, Vasko served as senior vice president at a top 50 national managed security and consulting provider. He was previously the co-founder and CEO of Terra Verde (now Avertium), where he helped grow the firm into one of the nation's largest providers of cybersecurity advisory and managed security services with thousands of clients around the world. He negotiated the sale of Terra Verde to Sunstone Partners, a leading growth equity firm.

Appointed by Arizona’s governor, Vasko served as a commissioner in Arizona’s Commission for Post-Secondary Education from 2015 to 2019. He was also appointed as the co-chair of Arizona’s Cyber Team (ACT) Workforce Development Committee and served as the industry co-chair for the 2019 NICE Conference.

As part of his active involvement in cybersecurity workforce development, Vasko sits on several advisory councils, working with universities to develop curriculum that enables a highly needed cybersecurity workforce that is "ready-to-work" to defend the nation’s critical data and assets.

A believer in lifelong learning, Vasko studied Applied Politics at The University of Akron and Educational Technology at Boise State University. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Science in Technology from the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe, Arizona.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts in history from Arizona State University, and has been a multi-year recipient of the university’s Sun Devil 100 business leadership award.

Mark Dallmeier Bio

Dallmeier previously served as the president and CEO of MARS Suite, a cybersecurity and risk management platform company, where he led the company’s turnaround and relaunch. He helped develop new growth, channel, and go-to-market strategies. He led the commercial launch of MARS Suite 2.0 after reducing development costs by 60% and increasing the company’s Managed SOC customer base by 300%.

Prior to MARS, Dallmeier served as a fractional CRO, CSO, and CMO for various companies, including Vertek, Xceptional Networks, New Genesis Solutions, and MSS BTA. He enabled these organizations to increase revenues by over 100% and grow transaction size by 50%.

He earlier served as chief sales and marketing officer at Terra Verde (now Avertium), helping to transform the boutique cybersecurity and risk consulting company into an award winning MSSP. He was part of the leadership team that integrated TruShield, Sword & Shield and Terra Verde after the Sun Stone Partners acquisition and investment and was responsible for establishing the Avertium brand.

He is also an accomplished author and speaker, and has published several seminal white papers and books, including "Opportunity Seized, Squandered, Lost: An AI Business Parable." He has hosted and participated in dozens of industry panels, webinars, and conferences, sharing his expertise on cybersecurity, compliance, and corporate transformation.

He holds a Bachelors of Science in business administration from University of Phoenix.

Michael B. Lieder Bio

Lieder is an accomplished cybersecurity and network security expert with more than a decade of hands-on experience, recognized for his leadership in driving complex cybersecurity strategies and delivering cutting-edge technological solutions. His robust skillset spans across multiple disciplines, including SIEM, SOAR, XDR, VMaaS, and a variety of advanced security services, making him a versatile and innovative leader in the field.

As the former director of Solutions and Product Management at MARS Suite, Lieder spearheaded the transformation of a legacy XDR and Vulnerability management tool designed for the public sector into a fully automated, scalable SaaS solution tailored to the needs of SMBs. This initiative modernized the product and expanded its market reach, as well as significantly enhance its value and operational efficiency.

Prior to MARS, Lieder played a pivotal role at Avertium (formerly Terra Verde), where he established and led numerous high-performing teams across SIEM/XDR Engineering, Cloud Infrastructure, and Site Reliability Engineering. Notably, he was the architect behind one of the industry’s first MXDR services, leveraging the power of Microsoft Sentinel and Defender to deliver top-tier security outcomes. His leadership was instrumental in positioning Avertium as a trusted partner for various product lines, while driving its growth as one of the nation’s premier MSSPs.

Earlier in his career, Lieder gained extensive experience through roles ranging from SOC Analyst to Security Engineer and Instructor, where he consistently demonstrated his technical prowess and leadership in elevating security standards and best practices across the organizations he served.

Overwatch Outlook

The new management team members join High Wire as its cybersecurity pipeline continues to strengthen, driven by the growth of the company’s global portfolio of channel partners and their clients, including 23 new partners in the first half of the year. Many of these new partners are larger than existing partners, with more clients and wider industry reach.

The company was recently awarded a major new contract to deliver High Wire’s Overwatch OT/IoT Security™ for a U.S. health system comprised of more than 25 hospitals and clinics.

Operating at the core of High Wire’s security operation center is Overwatch SOAR™, a proprietary security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) technology. The unique AI embedded in Overwatch SOAR automatically consolidates alerts from various threat prevention and detection-and-response platforms and processes them with intelligence-based rules that provide enhanced visibility, improved correlation, and faster remediation.

High Wire’s SOAR technology serves as an exponential force multiplier for its dedicated teams of professional security experts, empowering them to deliver the most secure and cost-effective cybersecurity solutions available on the market today. High Wire offers its Overwatch managed security services exclusively through a global network of managed service providers (MSPs) and managed security service providers totaling more than 200 worldwide.

Reflecting High Wire’s preferred “go-to” status for these global channel partners, Frost & Sullivan ranks High Wire as a Top 12 Managed Security Service Provider in the Americas in the categories of growth and innovation. Overwatch addresses a global cybersecurity market that is expected to grow at a 14.3%CAGR to reach $563 billion by 2032.

To learn more about High Wire and its award-winning managed cybersecurity and IT enablement services, visit HighWireNetworks.com or view the company’s free video series on YouTube.

About High Wire Networks
High Wire Networks, Inc. (OTCQB: HWNI) is a fast-growing, award-winning global provider of managed cybersecurity. Through over 200 channel partners, it delivers trusted managed services for more than 1,100 managed security customers worldwide. End-customers include Fortune 500 companies and many of the nation’s largest government agencies. Its U.S. based 24/7 Network Operations Center and Security Operations Center is located in Chicago.

High Wire was ranked by Frost & Sullivan as a Top 12 Managed Security Service Provider in the Americas for 2023. It was also named to CRN’s MSP 500 and Elite 150 lists of the nation’s top IT managed service providers for 2023 and 2024.

Learn more at HighWireNetworks.com. Follow the company on X, view its extensive video series on YouTube or connect on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements
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High Wire Contact
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High Wire Networks
Tel +1 (952) 974-4000
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