1. Nikesh Arora

Chairman, CEO

Palo Alto Networks

Under Arora’s leadership, Palo Alto Networks has moved aggressively in recent years to expand its product portfolio beyond its signature next-generation firewall offerings — ultimately transforming the company into the provider of a full platform for modern cybersecurity.

The Palo Alto Networks platform now spans from cloud and application security to zero trust and secure access service edge (SASE) to extended detection and response (XDR) and automated security operations — bringing together numerous best-of-breed tools to form a unique end-to-end platform.

Palo Alto Networks has completed 14 acquisitions under Arora so far, and solution providers say the company has been skillful at integrating its acquired technology into a cohesive platform, which can enable widely in-demand tool consolidation for customers.

Now that the product portfolio he envisioned is a reality, Arora told CRN his focus this year is “all about go-to-market and the channel,” which includes accelerating the company’s work with partners that can offer managed and professional services around the Palo Alto Networks platform.

“Now our products lend themselves to more transformational [projects] with our customers, which do require a significant services capability with our partner ecosystem,” Arora said. More than ever before at Palo Alto Networks, “the partner ecosystem is the key catalyst, enabler and amplifier of our ability to deliver those solutions.”