Tag: Independent Cybersecurity Product Validation

NSS Labs Appoints Industry Veteran Dominick Delfino as Executive Advisor

Posted on by NSS Labs

Austin, TX – March 24, 2026 – NSS Labs, the leading authority in independent cybersecurity product validation, today announced the appointment of Dominick Delfino as Executive Advisor. A seasoned technology leader with more than 25 years of experience at Google Cloud, Nutanix, Pure Storage, and Cisco, Delfino will provide strategic guidance to the NSS Labs leadership team as the company expands its testing capabilities for the next generation of AI-driven cybersecurity.

Delfino joins NSS Labs at a pivotal moment for enterprises, where the rise of sophisticated, automated threats has made independent, real-world validation of security efficacy more critical than ever.

Most recently, Delfino served as Global Vice President of Cybersecurity Sales at Google Cloud, where he led the global go-to-market strategy for the company’s security portfolio, including the integration of Mandiant. His distinguished career also includes serving as Chief Revenue Officer at Nutanix and Pure Storage, as well as holding senior leadership roles at VMware and Cisco.

“Dominick is a distinguished leader in the technology and security space,” said Vikram Phatak, CEO of NSS Labs. “His experience scaling global organizations and his deep understanding of the cloud and security landscape from his time at Google Cloud and VMware will be invaluable. Dominick understands exactly what enterprise customers need, and his guidance will be instrumental as we grow our enterprise programs.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed how difficult it is for organizations to separate marketing claims from actual security performance,” said Delfino. “NSS Labs has always stood for transparency and data-driven truth in a crowded marketplace. I am thrilled to be helping the team scale and ensure that enterprises have the right tools to deliver independent, real-world validation of their security controls.”

As Executive Advisor, Delfino will focus on accelerating NSS Labs global sales, enhancing strategic partnerships, and aligning the company’s roadmap with the rapidly shifting requirements of AI.

NSS Labs Publishes Two Foundational White Papers on Enterprise AI Security

Posted on by NSS Labs

Austin, TX – March 18, 2026 – NSS Labs, the leading authority in independent cybersecurity product validation, today announced the publication of two new white papers addressing the rapidly evolving challenge of securing artificial intelligence in enterprise environments:

Together, the papers provide enterprise security leaders with a structured, governance-driven framework for understanding AI risk in production systems. The research was developed in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), F5, and Microsoft as well as other industry leaders.

“AI Security Beyond the Model: What Enterprises Need to Care About — and Why,” outlines why securing the AI model alone is insufficient and why enterprise AI security must be treated as a system‑level and governance challenge. The aim is to provide concrete guidance to Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), enterprise buyers, and Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) leaders on the questions to ask before real-world AI failures are exposed under regulatory, legal, customer, or board-level scrutiny.

“Evaluating Enterprise AI Security: Questions Every Buyer Should Be Able to Answer” moves from theory to procurement discipline to help enterprise buyers formulate better questions when shortlisting AI security vendors. The focus is primarily on runtime guardrails in the form of AI Protection Systems, the controls outside the model that enforce policy, protect data, and produce audit evidence.

“We’re at the beginning of the AI revolution and everyone has questions,” said Vikram Phatak, CEO of NSS Labs. “These papers provide a framework for how to think about securing AI as well as practical guidance for governance of what their AI systems are permitted to do and why. Yes, AI security is a technical issue, but it is also a governance issue.”

The white papers highlight several critical priorities for enterprises:

  • Embedding AI security into Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) frameworks
  • Moving beyond model-centric controls to system-level runtime guardrails
  • Managing delegated authority in agentic AI systems
  • Combining detection with verification where certainty is required
  • Establishing measurable, independent validation practices

Together, the papers provide a practical roadmap for organizations to safely transition from AI experimentation to accountable, production-grade deployment.

Both white papers are available for download at nsslabs.com.

NSS Labs Selects ectacom GmbH to Expand Cybersecurity Representation in Central Europe

Posted on by NSS Labs

Austin, Texas / Munich, Germany – November 12, 2025

NSS Labs, the leading authority in independent cybersecurity product validation today announced that ectacom GmbH, a German value-added distributor, will be representing NSS Labs in the Central European regions of Germany, Austria, Switzerland (DACH) and Poland.

Through this collaboration enterprises, service providers, and security vendors in the region will gain access to NSS Labs real-world cybersecurity testing services, helping organizations strengthen defenses, ensure compliance, and reduce risk.

Among the services offered will be Minion by NSS Labs, a managed security testing service based on live attack scenarios, including malware, exploits, evasion techniques, and false positives sourced from active threat intelligence. Delivered remotely with encrypted control, Minion allows customers to:

  • Continuously monitor ongoing test results
  • Track improvements in security products over time
  • Generate compliance-ready documentation without the burden of in-house test management

This service is designed to support CISOs, CIOs, and Chief Risk Officers in meeting the growing demands of regulatory compliance, supply chain assurance, and resilience.

“ectacom understands the cybersecurity challenges enterprises face today,” said Vikram Phatak, CEO of NSS Labs. “As we expand globally, we are delighted to be represented by ectacom in Central Europe.”

“We are very proud to be partnering with NSS Labs again,” added Tomé Spasov, Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at ectacom GmbH. “Enterprises continue to face significant breach risks, and testing provides the validation needed to ensure vendor products are meeting critical security performance standards.”

About ectacom

ectacom is one of the leading independent German Value-Added Distributors (VAD) for complex IT, OT, and IoT solutions and services. The company works closely with channel partners and integrators, to help companies improve infrastructure efficiency, optimize processes, and maintain compliance. For more information, please visit ectacom.com

About NSS Labs

NSS Labs delivers research-backed insights through its advanced testing platforms, empowering enterprises, security vendors, and service providers to make informed, evidence-based cybersecurity decisions. By handling the heavy lifting of testing for effectiveness, performance, and suitability, NSS Labs helps clients move beyond assumptions to gain actionable clarity. Its auditing and governance services offer continuous assurance that deployed security technologies are performing as expected—protecting investments and supporting accountability. For more information visit nsslabs.com

NSS Labs Introduces Minion, a Managed Security Testing Service for Enterprises, Service Providers, and Cybersecurity Vendors

Posted on by NSS Labs

LAS VEGAS, NV – August 5, 2025. NSS Labs, the leading authority in independent cybersecurity product validation, today announced the launch of  Minion by NSS Labs, a managed, security testing platform developed by NSS Labs to independently validate real-world performance of security products. It delivers third-party validation of security controls through rigorously designed and remotely executed testing cycles—all without the operational burden of in-house test management.  

Minion by NSS Labs: Built for Three Critical Audiences 

Minion for Enterprises 

Minion supports CISO, CIO, Chief Risk Officer, and CEO priorities by testing to ensure that deployed or procured security products meet performance claims and policy goals. Test outputs can be integrated into broader Governance, Risk and Compliance practices and security performance dashboards. 

Minion for Service Providers and Managed Service Providers 

Service Providers (SPs) and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can use Minion to validate OEM-based or proprietary security solutions under real-world threat conditions. This helps accelerate time-to-market, differentiate in competitive markets, develop roadmap priorities, and ensure continuous service quality for regulated customers – all backed by objective test data. 

Minion for Cybersecurity Vendors 

Designed originally for enterprise buyers and risk officers, Minion offers cybersecurity vendors a unique opportunity: external, objective testing that aligns with the evolving needs of procurement teams, GRC mandates, and competitive product positioning. 

“Our goal is to provide transparency into the effectiveness of cybersecurity products,” said Vikram Phatak, CEO. “Minion delivers high-impact answers with speed and scale. Cybersecurity professionals will know if the products they rely on are working.”   

NSS Labs is also introducing its interactive data platform during DEF CON 33 in Las Vegas. The platform will provide users with self-service access to test results, enabling interactive exploration, comparison, and decision support through a visual, executive-ready interface. 

Executives from NSS Labs will demo the platform and gather feedback during Networking Bar sessions: 

  • Friday, August 8, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
  • Saturday, August 9, from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

“Security leaders need tools that let them compare and justify cybersecurity decisions with real evidence,” said Ian Foo, Chief Technology Officer and EVP of Product. “Our new data platform will modernize the way we share test data so that enterprises can make faster, smarter decisions across the organization.”