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Bill Conner

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F. William Conner is an American business executive. Conner has worked across a variety of high-tech industries, specializing in corporate turnaround, cybersecurity, data and infrastructure.

Bill (F. William) Conner
Alma materWharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University

Early life

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Conner was born and raised in West Helena, Arkansas. In 1981, he received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University in mechanical engineering and later earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1987.

Career

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Conner began his career at AT&T in 1981. Over the next 11 years, he held titles of senior engineer, operations manager, and strategic planner, among others.[1]

Conner held executive positions at Nortel Networks from 1992 to 2001. As the president of Nortel's Enterprise Data Networks, Conner managed its US$9.1 billion acquisition of Bay Networks. As Nortel's first chief marketing officer, he launched the global marketing campaigns "Come Together" and "What Do You Want the Internet to Be?"[2][3]

 
Conner speaking on global cybersecurity before the INTERPOL 79th General Assembly in Doha, Qatar, November 2010

In 2001, Conner moved into the creation and delivery of identity-based security and services as the chief executive officer and president of Entrust, a private software company.[4] Conner joined when the company was falling from profitability; he launched a restructuring effort and began to trim workforce annually. He launched a new business model focusing on product portfolios targeted to key verticals and geographies.[5]

Conner engineered the company's acquisition by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2009[6] and transitioned Entrust into a private firm. In December 2013, it was announced that Datacard Group had entered into an agreement to purchase Entrust for a reported $500 million. Conner took on a consultant role during the transition.[7]

On January 5, 2015, Silent Circle announced that Conner had been appointed as its chief executive officer, a member of Silent Circle's board of directors, and a member of the board of directors of Blackphone, a secure mobile handset developed by a subsidiary of Silent Circle.[8] On June 17, 2016, Silent Circle blogged that Conner had resigned as CEO and would remain only as an "advisor."[9]

Conner joined SonicWall as president and CEO on November 1, 2016.[10] Formerly a division of Dell Software Inc., SonicWall had been spun off and acquired by Francisco Partners and Elliott Management in June 2016.[11] In October 2017, Francisco Partners acquired Comodo Certification Authority (Comodo CA) and named Conner chairman of the board. In September 2018, Conner outlined the rapid growth in non-standard port threats and explained a business reorganization to serve both the SME and enterprise business markets by focusing on the enterprise verticals of retail, education and government.[12]

In April 2020, Conner introduced SonicWall's new computer security model, the Boundless Cybersecurity model,[13] in response to heightened cybersecurity concerns as remote and hybrid work became increasingly common amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] On July 21, 2022, Conner moved to a new role as executive chairman of the board.

Recently, Conner took over as President and CEO of Jitterbit, having accepted the role in February 2024.[15]

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Conner has been active in various public-private partnerships on cybersecurity, cybertheft, and infrastructure security. He helped unveil the INTERPOL Global Smart eID Card and addressed the United Nations on global challenges in cybercrime in June 2010.[16] He co-chaired the Corporate Governance Task Force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Cybersecurity Partnership[17] and was a member of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance (now a branch of TechAmerica technology trade association).[18] Conner was also a member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), and he created and co-chaired the BSA's Information Security Governance Task Force.[19]

In February 2012, Conner took part in a hearing by the United States House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce to discuss cybersecurity threats facing the U.S. and the role public-private partnerships play in defense.[20] Conner has recently spent time discussing the effects of spear phishing schemes on weak authentication, notably the rash of attacks on media outlets and the risks of insider threats.[21][22][23]

In 2016, Conner became a Forbes community voice contributor as a member of the Forbes Technology Council,[24] and articles to which he has contributed have featured topics such as cybersecurity and policy trends,[25] cyber threat intelligence,[26] and how human predictability factors into cyberattacks.[27] He has also written articles and contributed to reports on email-borne cyberattacks[28] and ransomware.[29]

In February 2018, Conner collaborated with former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff on an opinion article written for The Hill detailing actions taken by the U.S. Congress and the SEC regarding cyber accountability and transparency.[30]

In a September 2018 article on cybersecurity trends, Conner described innovative next-generation security techniques in the cloud and the deep web.[31]

Awards and honors

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  • SC Media Reboot Leadership Award (2017)[32]
  • Insights Success 10 Most Admired CEOs to Watch (2018)[33]
  • Info Security Products Guide CEO of the Year (500-2,499 Employees): Gold Winner (2018)[34]
  • CEO World Awards CEO of the Year (500-2,499 Employees): Silver Winner (2018)[35]
  • CRN's Top 25 IT Innovators (2021)[36]
  • SC Awards Finalist: Security Executive of the Year (2022)[37]

References

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  1. ^ McWhirter, Douglas. "Bill Conner". CRM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "Nortel Networks to debut $100M campaign". Ad Age. September 27, 1999. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "Nortel launches aggressive ad campaign". The Globe and Mail. September 16, 2003. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  4. ^ "Executives: Bill Conner". Entrust.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Mehta, Angel. "CEO Spotlight: Bill Conner, Entrust (Newsletter)". SterlingHoffman.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Thoma Bravo Completes Entrust Acquisition (Press release)". ThomaBravo.com. July 29, 2009. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  7. ^ Schatzker, Erik (December 17, 2013). "Quandt Family Buys Entrust in Shift From Card Swipes to Online". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Silent Circle Appoints Bill Conner CEO (Press release)". PRNewswire.com. January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "Silent Circle Prepares for Next Stage of Growth in Secure Enterprise Communications Market". SilentCircle.com. June 17, 2016. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "SonicWall Announces Spin Out from Dell Software Group". blog.SonicWall.com. November 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  11. ^ Davis, Jessica (June 21, 2016). "Dell Software Businesses Sold to Private Equity Firms". InformationWeek.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Quicke, Simon (September 18, 2018). "SonicWall CEO rallies partners to fend off non-standard ports threat". ComputerWeekly.com. Archived from the original on October 24, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  13. ^ "SonicWall Boundless Cybersecurity Platform Swiftly Providing Remote Workforces with Secure Mobile Access, Defense in 'New Business Norm' (Press release)". PRNewswire.com. April 15, 2020. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Olenick, Doug (March 25, 2020). "COVID-19 exposes gaps in cybersecurity safety net as millions work from home". SC Magazine. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  15. ^ Brooks, Steve (February 14, 2024). "Jitterbit appoints Bill Conner as President and CEO". Enterprise Times.
  16. ^ "Interpol Head Addresses BCUN, UN Audience". United Nations Association of the United States of America. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  17. ^ "Corporate Governance Task Force of the National Cyber Security Partnership Releases Industry Framework (Press release)". Cyberpartnership.org. April 12, 2004. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Lyman, Jay (February 26, 2004). "Tech Companies Team Up for Internet Security". TechNewsWorld.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2022. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  19. ^ Conner, B.; Noonan, T.; Holleyman, R. W. (2003). "Information Security Governance: Toward a Framework for Action (White paper)" (PDF). GlobalTechSummit.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  20. ^ "Cyber Security and the Private Sector (Video)". C-SPAN.org. February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  21. ^ "How to Protect Against Cyber-Espionage (Video)". Bloomberg TV. Reposted on YahooNews.com. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  22. ^ "Protecting Petroleum (Video)". FoxBusiness.com. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  23. ^ Acohido, Byron (August 28, 2013). "ID security CEO: 'NYT' hackers did their homework". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  24. ^ "Bill Conner". Councils.Forbes.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  25. ^ Conner, Bill (July 23, 2018). "Managing Cybersecurity Policy, Compliance And Enforcement Across The Enterprise". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  26. ^ Conner, Bill (May 22, 2018). "Real-Time Cyber Threat Intelligence Is More Critical Than Ever". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  27. ^ Conner, Bill. "Human Predictability Make Attacks Easy For Threat Actors". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  28. ^ Conner, Bill (August 18, 2017). "A Constant Threat: The Persistence Of The Email-Borne Cyberattack". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  29. ^ Conner, Bill (September 24, 2019). "Back-To-School Lists Should Now Include Ransomware". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  30. ^ Chertoff, Michael; Conner, Bill (February 27, 2018). "SEC, Congress take steps toward cyber accountability and transparency". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  31. ^ Gorman, Patrick (September 25, 2018). "SonicWall CEO Bill Conner On Cybersecurity Trends CEOs Should Know". ChiefExecutive.net. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  32. ^ "Sonicwall CEO Bill Conner Wins Inaugural SC Media 2017 Reboot Leadership Award". Firewall News. May 9, 2017. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  33. ^ "The 10 Most Admired CEOs To Watch 2018". InsightsSuccess.com. August 2018. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  34. ^ "Winners of the 14th Annual 2018 Info Security PG's Global Excellence Awards". Info Security Products Guide. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  35. ^ "July 30 Red Carpet Awards Gala in San Francisco". CEO World Awards. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  36. ^ "The Top 25 IT Innovators Of 2021". CRN. August 2, 2021. Archived from the original on December 25, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  37. ^ "2022 SC Awards Finalists: Security Executive of the Year". SC Media. May 16, 2022. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
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