Black Hat 2025 Omdia Analyst Summit Event Debrief

Adam Etherington

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Practice Leader, Cybersecurity

Adam is part of Omdia’s global Digital Enterprise Services practice. He leads international research, advisory, and analysis for cybersecurity and cloud B2B services. A regular speaker at industry events and executive roundtables, Adam thrives on driving deep insight through custom engagements with clients.

Adam joined Omdia in 2020, bringing more than two decades of experience as an executive at some of the world’s largest telecoms and IT services vendors. His experience spans corporate strategy, product marketing, technical operations, market intelligence, sales, and strategic alliance roles. Adam holds a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University and an MBA from Deakin University (both in Australia). In 2022, he was awarded the 2021 Brookes Medal for outstanding academic achievement.

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Vladimir Galabov

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Senior Research Director, Enterprise Infrastructure

Vlad is responsible for the enterprise infrastructure teams at Omdia, including the cloud and data center research practice and the cybersecurity research practice. He guides the teams’ research strategy and produces research with a focus on disruptive trends, such as infrastructure upgrades necessary to enable broad adoption of AI, as well as the impact of AI on the enterprise infrastructure stack.

Vlad joined Omdia, formerly IHS Markit Technology, in 2016. He assumed the responsibility for the cloud and data center research practice in 2021, developing many of its unique, industry-leading technical analyses, including its flagship “single source of truth” data center capex and capacity model. He held senior positions at Intel and Ciena, where his data-led insights served as a central input into the companies’ strategies. Key market models he developed include an in-depth analysis of telecommunications network operations costs, a PC inventory tracker, and an actionable IoT market forecast. Vlad’s work has even facilitated decision-making in the British Parliament. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and management from Aston University, the UK.

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Hollie Hennessy

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OT/IoT Cybersecurity Lead

Hollie provides insight into the fascinating and fast-moving domain of OT and IoT cybersecurity, covering both cybersecurity and product security across automotive, medical, embedded, and industrial.

Hollie has a range of experience in research. She began her career in the legal sector, writing and researching for expert witness reports on the labor market. She then moved into product testing, with a consumer protection focus. In this role, she was responsible for managing comparative tests of various technology and IoT products, as well as regular testing and investigative work into the security of these devices.

She has published articles in Which?, produced by the UK’s largest consumer organization and one of the country’s largest subscription magazines, Computing, and regularly provides expertise for news announcements and reports. She is also a regular speaker at industry security events, as well as specialised events in the OT and IoT cybersecurity space. She has a particular interest in regulation and standards, supporting numerous research projects on the topic, ranging from consumer device testing and labelling, 5G security standards, OT security regulation, and automotive cybersecurity regulation.

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Don Tait

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Senior Analyst, Identity, Authentication, Access

Don is Omdia’s Senior Analyst for the cybersecurity team, bringing more than 20 years of research, consulting, and insights experience to his role as a lead analyst in the area of identity, authentication, and access.

Don has provided analyses on smart cards, payment and banking cards, near-field communications (NFC), and contactless credentials. He has presented the findings from his reports at many events and has written feature articles on his areas of expertise for leading journals and publications. Prior to joining Omdia, Don was a telecoms research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, responsible for the firm's broadband services subscription. He was also a marketing consultant at MSI Reports Limited, where he wrote industrial, healthcare, and telecommunications reports. Don has a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in business studies from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland. He is based in the UK.

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Elvia Finalle

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Analyst, Cybersecurity

Elvia is an experienced analyst in Omdia’s cybersecurity team covering various market areas with a demonstrated history of working in the management consulting industry. Her specialized coverage includes SecOps and enterprise awareness training. Elvia has been creating databases and analyzing market trends for over three years in media and entertainment, ICT, and cybersecurity.

Elvia previously served as a research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, where she researched a full range of markets in the following industries: enterprise storage, broadcasting, cinematographic cameras, VR, and 360° video. Before entering the research industry, Elvia was engaged in a variety of roles in project management, sales, and public relations.

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Andrew Braunberg

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Principal Analyst

Andrew supports Omdia's Cybersecurity Operations (SecOps) Intelligence Service research practice, guiding vendor, service provider, and enterprise clients. He provides thought-leading analysis on technologies, trends, and innovations in enterprise security operations centers (SOCs), and specifically on the proactive technologies used to avoid breach such as vulnerability management and attack surface management.

Andrew has been covering, researching, and speaking on topics related to enterprise information technology for approximately 20 years. Prior to joining Omdia (formerly Ovum) in 2022, Andrew spent five years at NSS Labs where he led the analyst group and worked closely with the company’s security product testing team.

Prior to NSS, Andrew spent more than a decade at GlobalData (formerly Current Analysis), where he managed the enterprise team and was the firm’s principal security analyst. Over his career, Andrew’s coverage has ranged from endpoint protection suites to network security appliances and solutions for protecting cloud-based assets.

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Adam Strange

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Principal Analyst, Data Security

Adam Strange is responsible for delivering a comprehensive analysis and insight program focused on data security within the Omdia cybersecurity research function, supporting vendor, service provider and enterprise clients.  Adam brings comprehensive experience of the cybersecurity industry, having worked for a series of UK-based channel and global vendor organisations.

Adam has spent his career working in enterprise IT and cybersecurity.  He joined Omdia in Feb 2023, from data classification vendor Boldon James where he ran the marketing communications function.  Prior to that, Adam worked within the cybersecurity business at BAE Systems, where he specialised in managed security, fraud prevention and anti-money laundering services in UK government and the Financial Services industry.  Previously, Adam spent 8 years at Oracle UK promoting secure database solutions both directly and with partners.  Before Oracle, he lead the enterprise solutions marketing team at Computacenter.  Adam has an MSc in corporate management from Cranfield University.

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Maxine Holt

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Vice President, Enterprise & Channel Research

Maxine Holt leads the Enterprise & Channel research group incorporating Omdia cybersecurity, cloud and data center, platforms and applications (including AI, IoT, and digital workplace), and Canalys Channels research. Maxine has spent her entire career in the technology industry, and her team delivers a comprehensive research program to support vendor, channel, and enterprise clients. Maxine also leads the Omdia Analyst Summit at the high-profile Black Hat series of events.

Maxine has spent her entire career as an IT and security professional and has been at Omdia since 2018. She is the lead architect of the Omdia Cybersecurity Ecosystem. Maxine built her in-depth cybersecurity expertise initially at the Information Security Forum (ISF), developing thought-leading security research for ISF members. Prior to ISF, Maxine spent 15 years in technology research at Ovum, starting her career as a software developer in the financial services industry and working in consulting for the financial services and internet sectors. Maxine was named the IIAR Industry Analyst of the Year, EMEA, 2023 and is a regular speaker at events, also contributing thought-leading content to high-profile publications in cybersecurity and technology.

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