Black Hat USA 2024: Key trends around platforms, people, and things

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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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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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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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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Ketaki Borade

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Senior Analyst, Infrastructure Security

Ketaki Borade supports Omdia’s Infrastructure Security research practice. She is responsible for qualitative and quantitative analysis of key vendors in the service. She provides insights into technology, market trends, and competitive landscape.

Ketaki brings her eight years of experience in consulting and syndicate research to this role. Ketaki has researched the semiconductor market for three years with MarketsandMarkets. Prior to joining Omdia, she worked with Canalys for five years as a cybersecurity analyst. She was leading the North American security practice for endpoint security, network security, email and web security, and vulnerability management with channels insights. Ketaki has a bachelor's degree in electronics and telecommunications and a master’s degree in operations. 

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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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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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Rik Turner

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Chief Analyst, Cybersecurity

Rik Turner is a chief analyst in Omdia’s cybersecurity team, covering emerging cybersecurity technology trends across all the areas the team researches.

Rik has also worked in Omdia’s financial services technology team, with a specialization in capital markets technology. Prior to joining Informa, he worked as an IT journalist, specializing in networking and security. He was also a foreign correspondent in Brazil, where he worked, among others, for the Financial Times and The Economist. 

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Jonathan Ong

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Senior Analyst, Cybersecurity

Jonathan Ong supports Omdia’s Managed Security Services, focusing on managed detection & response (MDR). He covers the analysis of security providers and their offerings, along with trend analysis to bring you what’s hot and what’s passé, with a spotlight on the APAC region.

Jonathan was previously a cybersecurity analyst at a forex trading company and consulted at a boutique firm specializing in cybersecurity frameworks. He brings a business-led approach to security through experiences at a programmatic marketing MNC and a fintech startup group. Jonathan studied at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois and Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics.

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