FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 22, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Netsurion, a leading provider of remotely-managed data and network security services for multi-location businesses, today announced the appointments of Mark Cornwell, former chief technology officer (CTO) at Swiss Watch International, as chief information officer (CIO) and Rene Gonzalez, previous head of finance at Woot, Inc., an Amazon.com subsidiary, as chief financial officer (CFO).
“Cybercriminals are aggressively targeting businesses of all sizes. However, without the proper security measures in place, no company—or reputation—is safe. Being a leader in security is important to every brand…but you don’t need the budget and staff of a major corporation to keep the hackers at bay. Netsurion’s managed services integrate enterprise-grade equipment and best-in-class security architecture to provide unparalleled security, PCI and HIPAA compliance, and manageability for our clients’ networks and POS systems,” said Kevin Watson, CEO of Netsurion. “Mark and Rene are joining the company as we accelerate our growth to meet the tremendous demand for our services, driven by rapidly expanding breach awareness and evolving threats. We’re fortunate to have landed such operationally strong and experienced executives.”
Cornwell brings more than 20 years of progressive cross-industry IT leadership to the CIO position and will oversee Netsurion’s engineers who build, manage and monitor the company’s internal systems and technology. He most recently served as CTO of Swiss Watch International, following management roles at AOL, Chico’s FAS, Winn-Dixie and Luxottica Retail. Throughout his corporate IT career, he has led significant business and technology transformation projects, including multi-year enterprise resource planning programs (SAP, Oracle, NSB) and e-commerce platform initiatives (IBM WCS, ATG, Magento). He has also directed large-scale POS implementations, business intelligence installations and infrastructure migration programs.
After honorably serving his country for 20+ years, Cornwell will officially retire from the military this year. His military career spanned the Air Force and NSA as a Chinese linguist and cryptographer as well as the Coast Guard, where he most notably supported Operation Guarding Liberty’s 9/11 response efforts and Operation Enduring Freedom during the establishment of Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo Bay.
“What drew me to Netsurion was the way it’s making the seemingly impossible possible for multi-location businesses. These smaller companies, which often lack internal IT resources, now have the ability to access and benefit from enterprise-strength security,” said Cornwell. “My engineers and I will ensure Netsurion is as productive and protected as the customers it serves—so it can continue providing unprecedented levels of affordable protection to these businesses and their brands.”
As CFO, Gonzalez will be responsible for all financial aspects of Netsurion’s business. He comes to the role with 17 years of entrepreneurial tech startup experience, most recently serving as vice president of Finance and Operations at Joinem LLC, a private e-commerce and technology startup. Prior to Joinem, Gonzalez was the finance leader of Woot, the innovator of the deal-a-day business model, and played an integral part in its acquisition by Amazon.com.
Throughout his career, he also held financial leadership roles with LaneLogic, Inc., a private SaaS technology startup, and Bimbo Bakeries, a CPG and food production subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo, where he helped drive and manage change and process improvement during a period of rapid and expansive growth nationwide.
“After years in the e-commerce industry, I look forward to rolling up my sleeves with a company that specializes in brick-and-mortar businesses, which process the same sensitive financial data as those online—but have more personal relationships and reputations to uphold,” said Gonzalez. “These business owners aren’t just sitting behind a computer screen. They’re interacting with their customers face to face on a daily basis, so securing their information and maintaining their trust is imperative for success. I am thrilled to be a part of the solution. As CFO, I will build upon Netsurion’s growing financial achievements as security needs continue to grow in parallel.”
Cornwell and Gonzalez are based in Netsurion’s new Ft. Lauderdale, Florida headquarters. Netsurion also has offices in Houston and St. Louis.
About Netsurion
Netsurion is a leading provider of remotely-managed IT security services that protect multi-location businesses’ information, payment systems and on-premise public and private Wi-Fi networks from data breaches and other risks posed by hackers. Netsurion’s patented remote installation technology and PCI compliant cloud-based solutions simplify the implementation process and ongoing support. Any sized branch or remote office, franchise or sole proprietor operation can use Netsurion without the costs of onsite support. The company serves the retail, hospitality, healthcare, legal and insurance sectors. www.netsurion.com