NS1 appoints Ryan Davis as CISO and Jay Liu as vice president of product strategy
NS1, a leader in next generation application networking, has expanded its executive team with the appointments of Ryan Davis as chief information security officer (CISO) and Jay Liu as vice president of product strategy.
With expertise in application and cloud security, and driving product strategies through technology innovation, they will help shape internal practices and guide product innovation for NS1’s suite of application-centric network automation solutions.
More organizations are delivering applications and services via hybrid and multi-cloud, microservices, serverless, and edge computing technologies, causing enterprise infrastructure to become increasingly distributed and complex.
NS1’s DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI) solutions automate infrastructure management processes in these modern environments, and as a result, the teams behind many of the world’s most trafficked internet and enterprise applications rely on NS1 for more efficient, secure, and reliable delivery at scale.
“As worldwide adoption and demand for our software-defined approach to foundational infrastructure technologies increases, we are reinforcing our commitments to security and product innovation with dedicated leadership,” said Kris Beevers, co-founder and CEO, NS1.
“Ryan and Jay have each demonstrated proven success within their respective fields. Their expertise will be invaluable as we expand our suite of application traffic solutions and support a rapidly growing customer base.”
Davis joins NS1 with more than 15 years of experience in information technology and security. He previously served as CISO and CIO at software security firm Veracode, where he led global IT operations, security and threat management, and risk and compliance.
Prior to Veracode, he supported Department of Defense customers while holding several information assurance roles at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory. He frequently speaks at industry events about third-party risk and how to develop stronger information security practices through the creation of security policies, security education training, and vulnerability and risk analysis.
Security has consistently been a priority for NS1, which maintains SOC 2 Type II certification and regularly tests its systems and products to ensure resiliency. Davis’s appointment as CISO will help to unify corporate security strategy while introducing a more cohesive narrative around security as a company differentiator.
His experience securing cloud-based products and services for customers of heavily regulated industries will help facilitate NS1’s continued expansion into these verticals, such as financial services and healthcare.
“The critical infrastructure technology NS1 provides to nearly 500 major customers worldwide has become an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals because of the role it plays in orchestrating application traffic,” Davis said.
“As CISO for NS1, I plan to leverage my experience in securing third-party SaaS solutions to build a comprehensive security program that reinforces NS1’s existing security measures, while delivering peace of mind to customers and other stakeholders.”
As Davis bolsters corporate and product security, NS1 will rely on Liu to identify market opportunities and translate the company’s vision into compelling product offerings that solve key customer challenges.
With cross-functional expertise spanning technology, product, go-to-market (GTM), and corporate development for both disruptive startups and market leaders, Liu is prepared for the task.
During his six-year tenure at VCE and Dell/EMC in the Office of CTO and Product Management, Liu led the development and execution of competitive strategy across all GTM functions for converged, hyper-converged, and hybrid cloud infrastructure solutions, capturing three No. 1 market share positions, and growing revenue six times to $3.6 billion.
Prior to VCE, he led the creation of an award-winning mobile SaaS product and its GTM execution at Brightcove through IPO, and led mobile and wireless M&A and venture investment at Cisco’s Corporate Development Group.
According to Liu, NS1’s early success has created many new opportunities, and as vice president of product strategy, he is well-positioned to guide NS1 through this critical stage of growth.
“Customers and partners believe in the vision and the value of our solutions, and have shared their technology strategy with us, communicating a desire to further integrate NS1 into their stacks.
“There is a tremendous market opportunity to capitalize on multiple disruptive transitions in the application and networking infrastructure landscape where NS1 has proven competitive advantages,” said Liu.
“It is important that we keep delivering strategic products and capabilities through technology innovation and portfolio synergy that lead the market and exceed customer and partner expectations while positioning NS1 for long-term success.”