WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. - Experts & Thought Leaders

WatchGuard has revealed its top six cybersecurity predictions for 2026, forecasting a year where AI-driven threats, regulatory pressures, and the decline of legacy tools will reshape the security landscape. Corey Nachreiner, chief security officer at WatchGuard Technologies, emphasises that organisations must prepare for rapid evolution in both attack methods and defensive strategies. Crypto-ransomware goes extinct  In 2026, crypto-ransomware will effectively go extinct, as threat actors abandon encryption and focus on data theft and extortion. Organisations have significantly improved their data backup and restoration capabilities, meaning they’re more likely to recover from a traditional crypto-ransomware attack without having to pay the extortion demands. Instead, cyber criminals simply steal data, threaten to leak it and even report victims to regulators or insurance companies to increase pressure. Encryption no longer pays off; the real leverage will now come from exposure.  OSS box will leverage AI to defend against supply chain attacks  If the surge of attacks against open-source package repositories like NPM and PyPI has taught security teams anything, it’s that open source is under siege. It’s a losing battle and traditional security controls, such as tighter authentication and shorter token lifetimes, can’t keep up. In 2026, open-source package repositories will adopt automated, AI-driven defences to fight back against a growing wave of supply chain attacks. To keep up with this significant and persistent threat, these repositories will become early adopters of automated SOC-style systems for their own applications, enabling them to detect and respond to attacks in real-time.  CRA reporting needs finally incentivise secure by design principals  In 2026, the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) will finally become the market force that drives adoption of secure-by-design principles. With the first phase going into effect in September 2026, software manufacturers selling into the EU must report actively exploited vulnerabilities and security incidents within 24 hours. This is the most aggressive reporting requirement yet. While the initial rollout will likely be chaotic as companies scramble to comply and more of their weaknesses are exposed, it will ultimately create a lasting incentive to build security into products from the start. At the same time, overlapping global regulations will reveal competing frameworks and contradictions, forcing organisations to navigate an increasingly complex web of compliance.   First breach carried out by autonomous, agentic AI tools in 2026   In 2025, WatchGuard predicted that multi-modal AI tools would be able to carry out every aspect of the attackers’ cyber kill chain, which proved to be true. 2026 will mark the year AI stops just assisting cybercriminals and starts attacking on its own. From reconnaissance and vulnerability scanning to lateral movement and exfiltration, these autonomous systems can orchestrate an entire breach at machine speed.   The first end-to-end AI-executed breach will serve as a wake-up call for defenders who have underestimated the speed at which generative and reasoning AIs evolve from tools into operators. The same capabilities that help businesses automate security workflows are being weaponised to outpace them. Organisations must fight fire with fire: only AI-driven defence tools that detect, analyse and remediate at the same velocity as attacker AIs will stand a chance.  The fall of VPN and remote access tools will lead to the rise of ZTNA  Traditional Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and remote access tools are among the top targets for attackers due to the loss, theft, and reuse of credentials, combined with the common lack of multi-factor authentication (MFA). It doesn’t matter how secure VPNs are from a technical perspective; if an attacker can log in as one of your trusted users, the VPN becomes a backdoor giving them access to all your resources by default. At least one-third of 2026 breaches will be due to weaknesses and misconfigurations in legacy remote access and VPN tools. Threat actors have specifically targeted VPN access ports over the past two years, either stealing users’ credentials or exploiting vulnerabilities in specific VPN products. As a result, 2026 will also be the year when SMBs begin to operationalise ZTNA tools because it removes the need to expose a potentially vulnerable VPN port to the internet. The ZTNA provider takes ownership of securing the service through their cloud platform, and ZTNA does not give every user access to every internal network. Rather, it allows you to grant individual user groups access to only the internal services they need to perform their jobs, thereby limiting the potential damage.  AI expertise becomes a required skill for cybersecurity  It's nearly the dawn of a new era where cyber offense and defence will take place on an AI battleground. Attackers are already experimenting with automated, adaptive and self-learning tools. Defenders who can’t match that level of speed and precision will be outgunned before they know they’re under fire. To survive, security professionals must go beyond simple understanding of AI toward mastery of its capabilities and harness it to automate detection and response while anticipating the new vulnerabilities it creates. By next year, AI literacy won’t just be a nice addition to a résumé, it’ll be table stakes, with interviewers diving in on practical applications of AI for cyber defence.

WatchGuard® Technologies, a pioneer in unified cybersecurity and Vector Capital (“Vector”) portfolio company, announced the appointment of Joe Smolarski as Chief Executive Officer. Vats Srivatsan, who had been named interim CEO since May 2025, will continue to serve as a member of WatchGuard’s board of directors, advising the company on growth & strategy. WatchGuard re-energised innovation Under Vats’ leadership, WatchGuard re-energised innovation, strengthened operational execution, and accelerated AI adoption. The company also modernised its hardware and software delivery model for partners, launched a major refresh across its network security portfolio, and delivered a record-setting third quarter in both performance and growth. These initiatives have materially lifted WatchGuard’s top-line and bottom-line growth trajectories, driven record financial performance, grown global market share, and increased momentum across its Unified Security Platform® and MSP-focused business model. WatchGuard’s executive leadership team Joe brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across technology, operations, and strategy. Known as a results-driven, partner-centric operator, he has led global organisations through periods of transformation, scale, and integration. Most recently, he helped drive a tenfold revenue increase and multi-billion-dollar valuation growth for Kaseya by uniting teams, technologies, and partners around a single, customer-first platform vision. Joe will work closely with WatchGuard’s executive leadership team and Board to continue driving the company’s strategic initiatives, operational excellence, and global partner success. Joe’s ability to integrate teams “I want to thank Vats for stepping in as interim CEO and architecting such rapid performance acceleration in such a short time. I am happy that Vats will continue to guide future growth and strategy as a Board Member,” said Alex Slusky, Founding Partner of Vector Capital and Chairman of WatchGuard. “In Joe, we have the right pioneer to build on this momentum to drive WatchGuard through this next chapter of growth. Joe has a proven track record of delivering phenomenal growth in MSP-focused technology organisations through both organic and M&A investments." "Joe’s ability to integrate teams and technologies at scale while staying focused on partner success makes him uniquely qualified to accelerate WatchGuard’s operational and innovation momentum.” WatchGuard’s next phase of innovation Joe has been instrumental in leading Kaseya through its hyper-growth phase - building the company’s MSP platform for comprehensive IT management, integrating more than a dozen acquisitions into a cohesive, scalable ecosystem that delivered stronger outcomes for partners, employees, and investors. That experience translates directly to WatchGuard’s cybersecurity mission, where the company’s Unified Security Platform® brings together advanced protection technologies, automation, and simplified management to give MSPs the power to deliver enterprise-grade security at scale. Joe’s proven ability to turn complexity into clarity and platforms into growth engines positions him to accelerate WatchGuard’s next phase of innovation and partner success. MSP’s growth strategy “WatchGuard has an incredible foundation, a world-class technology platform, an MSP-first business model, and a reputation for trust and performance that stands out in the market,” said Joe Smolarski, CEO, WatchGuard Technologies. “Cybersecurity has become central to every MSP’s growth strategy, and WatchGuard is perfectly positioned to lead that evolution. I’m excited to build on the company’s strong trajectory and make WatchGuard the cybersecurity vendor synonymous with the MSP community.”

WatchGuard Technologies, a global pioneer in unified cybersecurity for managed service, announced a major expansion of its WatchGuard Cloud PSA (Professional Services Automation), now offering deep, native support for ConnectWise Manage, Autotask PSA, and HaloPSA.  This broad integration ‒ which includes the entire portfolio of Network, Identity, Endpoint, and MDR services ‒ solidifies WatchGuard's continued commitment to empowering MSPs by embedding security management directly into the core systems they rely on to operate and grow their businesses. This broad integration ‒ which includes the entire portfolio of Network, Identity, Endpoint, and MDR services ‒ solidifies WatchGuard's continued commitment to empowering MSPs by embedding security management directly into the core systems they rely on to operate and grow their businesses. Efficiency across security operations With this expansion, WatchGuard creates efficiency across security operations and scales to each partner’s business model with a flexible fit. As the newest addition to its Unified Security Platform, these advancements deliver seamless integration and eliminate the need for spreadsheets, manual reconciliation, or disconnected workflows via:  Native integrations with ConnectWise Manage, Autotask PSA, and HaloPSA WatchGuard Agent deployments through ConnectWise RMM Automated workflows for asset synchronisation, billing, ticketing, and contract management Unified operations that eliminate manual processes, boost SLA compliance, and increase profitability ConnectWise environment “Many cybersecurity platforms lack deep PSA integration, forcing MSPs to juggle alerts, tickets, and billing outside their core operational systems, creating inefficiencies, increasing risk, and impacting revenue,” said Chris Miller, vice president, Pacific Office Automation. “Directly from my ConnectWise environment, my team can now instantly view customers and product licenses, while alerts automatically generate and resolve tickets. Role-based access and multi-tenant visibility streamline account transitions and strengthen compliance.” “It’s a major leap in operational efficiency that empowers my technicians to focus on what matters most ‒ delivering outstanding customer service.” WatchGuard Agent Managed service providers have made it abundantly clear that managing multiple agents is no longer acceptable. WatchGuard is the first to answer the call with WatchGuard Agent, a single, modular agent for FireCloud client, endpoint security products and add-ons (including patch management and encryption), NDR collectors, and cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Partners that qualify can join the beta now. AuthPoint MFA integration and Open MDR support will follow in early 2026, further extending the unified experience. Managed through WatchGuard Cloud, the WatchGuard Agent accelerates onboarding, reduces maintenance overhead, and simplifies upgrades. Additionally, MSPs can now easily monitor the health of their clients’ security posture, ensuring every component is properly installed, updated, and operating as intended. True single-agent solution By leading the market toward a true single-agent solution, WatchGuard is enabling MSPs with one platform, one agent, and the ultimate goal of total security. “With full integration across our Unified Security Platform, including Firebox, FireCloud, AuthPoint, Endpoint Security, and ThreatSync, we’re delivering unified detection and response, automated workflows, integrated MDR capabilities, and actionable insights that empower our partners and customers with true 24/7 threat protection,” said Ben Oster, vice president, product management operations at WatchGuard. “Regardless of PSA choice, WatchGuard MSPs now achieve full-spectrum automation from alert to invoice.” Recognised by industry analysts WatchGuard is recognised as a  Champion in the 2025 Canalys Cybersecurity Matrix, underscoring its commitment to innovation and partner success. “RMM and PSA continue to be the core of the MSP operating stack,” said Jessica Davis, principal analyst at Omdia. “As the threat landscape has evolved, cybersecurity is becoming a third component of that core stack. MSPs expanding their service portfolios need deep integrations between their security platforms and their PSA/RMM platforms to drive efficiency and profitability. These integrations need to provide simplified management, automated workflows, and a unified platform that scales with customer needs.”