Open Systems Appoints New CEO to Further Accelerate its Lead in the Rapidly Expanding Global Enterprise Cybersecurity Services Market

Redwood City, Calif. - May 19, 2021 - Open Systems, the cybersecurity service innovator for future-ready enterprises, today announced the appointment of Geoff Haydon as Chief Executive Officer. With more than 20 years’ experience growing successful cybersecurity companies, Haydon is tasked with enriching Open Systems’ cybersecurity platform and increasing the company’s share of the managed security market, which IDC expects to be the fastest growing segment of global security spending by 2024.

Haydon comes to Open Systems from VMware Carbon Black, where as Vice President of Sales and Customer Operations he led global go-to-market strategy and execution. Prior to that, Haydon served as Chief Revenue Officer at Secureworks, CEO at Absolute Software, and as a Vice President at RSA.

“Merely ‘good’ cybersecurity is not sufficient for today’s enterprises, as they shift to multi-cloud environments and enable anywhere workforces. We are at an inflection point in the industry with these fundamental attack surface changes, and Open Systems, with its technology-centric approach to service delivery, is uniquely positioned to exceed customer expectations,” said Dr. Bernd-Michael Rumpf, Open Systems’ Chairman of the Board. “We are confident that Geoff’s experience will allow us to distinguish Open Systems as a definitive market leader.”

“I’m thrilled to join Open Systems at this pivotal moment in its expansion. I’m impressed with its deep commitment to the customer experience, and its approach to abstracting the complexity of cybersecurity technology into a single service delivery platform,” said Haydon. “Unlike typical managed service providers, Open Systems delivers outcomes, not alerts - and this is reflected in its 98% customer retention rate. I am eager to work with the team to build on the success the company has worked so hard to attain.”

“Geoff’s cybersecurity experience and business acumen make him an ideal CEO for Open Systems as it strives to expand its share of the growing enterprise market for managed security,” said Tony Prigmore, Managing Partner and Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “Time and again Geoff has demonstrated his ability to lead companies to success. We fully expect Geoff will position Open Systems’ MDR+ and SASE+ services to stand out in this growing and strategic market.”

“The company is well poised for further success due to the strategic initiatives driven by our former CEO, Jeff Brown,” added Rumpf. “These include expanding our platform to offer a very successful MDR service, broadening our cloud security and management offering, and creating deep partnerships with cybersecurity powerhouses like Microsoft. On behalf of the board and the executive team, I thank Jeff for his efforts and for ensuring a smooth transition.”

Open Systems has provided secure networking services for more than 30 years and has been deployed approximately 10,000 times by major enterprises and non-profit organizations in 184 countries. This proven platform is at the heart of the company’s award-winning MDR+ and Secure Access Service Edge (SASE+) services, and is complemented by the company’s world-class, integrated SOC and NOC with 24×7 white glove support from our highly trained security and networking experts with over 500 years of combined experience.

Recent examples of Open Systems’ success include being one of the first managed service providers to join the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA), winning a 2020 Cybersecurity Breakthrough Award in the Managed Security Solution of the Year category, and being listed as a Representative Vendor in Gartner’s 2020 Market Guide for Managed Detection and Response Services.

About Open Systems

Open Systems is an AI-first SASE platform company delivering secure access and networking to help enterprises connect users, applications and infrastructure across complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Its proprietary platform combines SSE capabilities, including ZTNA, SWG, CASB and FWaaS, with SD-WAN, end-to-end connectivity, unified policy management, and advanced analytics in a single architecture.

While many cybersecurity providers focus primarily on advancing technology capabilities, Open Systems combines its AI-first SASE platform with an execution model designed for real-world operability, ensuring services are not only deployed, but continuously run, adapted and improved through a combination of AI-enabled operations and NOC-based expertise (Mission Control), built on decades of operational experience, helping organizations reduce complexity, increase visibility and strengthen security outcomes at global scale.

Founded in Switzerland in 1990, Open Systems generates more than USD 100 million in annual revenue and supports global enterprise customers operating in more than 180 countries. Since 2024, the company has been part of Swiss Post, combining Swiss trust and stability with global reach. As a European alternative to US- and Israel-based cybersecurity providers, Open Systems is guided by strong principles around sovereignty requirements, regulatory alignment, transparency and shared responsibility - taking clear ownership for security, performance and operational outcomes, helping organizations maintain control in an increasingly complex digital landscape.