The terrible part of every good thing is that it must some day come to an end. Starting June 8, Farsight Security will have a different CTO, which means it is time once again to say “til we meet again” to my great friend and colleague, Merike Kaeo, our CTO for the last three years, and a virtual co-founder from our days at ISC before Farsight was launched. Farsight is crafting a long-term advisory role for Merike, which will be announced here in due course. We wish her the best possible success in whatever challenges she pursues next and in the future.
In related news, our new CTO as of June 8 will be Ben April, formerly Sr. Director of Research. Ben and I have worked together on and off for about 15 years, including four years here at Farsight. With this change in CTO, I feel a bit like the San Francisco 49ers did when they had to switch their starting quarterbacks from Joe Montana to Steve Young, which is: we’ll miss the all-star, but at least we have another all-star ready to come off the bench. Many of you already know Ben from the conference circuit or from Op Sec Trust where he and I both serve as coders and sysadmins.
Paul Vixie, CEO
It is with mixed emotions that I announce that I will be leaving Farsight Security for other endeavors. The transition has been in effect for a few months and my last day will be June 8, 2018. I have enjoyed my nearly 3 years as CTO and am proud to have contributed to the company’s growth during that period.
Little did I know back in 2011 when I was hired to oversee the security products and services at ISC that it would become an independent entity and continue to create a vastly important set of capabilities that would change how quickly and effectively malicious campaigns are identified and remediated against.
The creation of Farsight Security enabled these products and services to be enhanced and improved upon. During the initial phase of the company, Paul Vixie hired Ben April to lead development and operational roles. By the time I joined Farsight as CTO in the summer of 2015, the company had already grown to 20 people and required added leadership to continue the growth. During my 3 year tenure where the company has doubled in size, Ben was my informal deputy and has continued to grow into a more strategic role. He is an excellent choice to be Farsight’s next CTO.
In my 25 year career I have been fortunate to work with many smart people and the Farsight team is no exception. I have considered it an honor to work with such a high caliber technical team and know more innovation will be forthcoming. I will be continuing on in a technical advisory role and look forward to this next chapter in my life.
Merike Kaeo, CTO 2015-2018
