Josh Corman leaving 451, heading to Akamai

After blazing a trail at 451 Group, Josh Corman is moving over to Akamai, where he'll report to CSO Andy Ellis.

Corman gave me the news over the phone Thursday afternoon, telling me he'll be running a new team called Security Intelligence, which is to be Akamai's security face to the industry.

The team will include Mike Smith (@rybolov) and another yet-to-be-named new hire.

"With almost a third of the Internet traffic flowing through Akamai, I know that any improvements I can affect will asymmetrically benefit the security of so many," he said. "I've always encouraged we fight smarter, not just harder - and that's what I intend to do."

In this role, his task will also be to drive intelligence in the industry "for emerging security challenges related to evolutions in adversaries and cloud-era technology adoption." Furthermore, he said, "I'll be working to drive more secure and defensible infrastructure throughout the industry, critical infrastructure and customers in both the government and the private sector. This will include pure research, public speaking and writing, working with enterprises, participating in industry and government working groups, and driving requirements and strategy into the Akamai IT and Security offerings."

Corman has been 451 Group's research director of enterprise security since October 2009. Before that, he was principal security strategist at IBM Internet Security Systems.

He has been a central figure in the big security debates of the last two years, including the pros and cons of the PCI Data Security Standard and how best to ensure that security is built into apps early in the development process.

He made waves in November 2009 when, during a talk, he compared PCI DSS to "No Child Left Behind," the education law championed by Former President George W. Bush. The law has been criticized by some who believe it has stifled innovation in education and focused too much on standardized testing.

The talk led to a two-part panel debate on PCI that appeared on CSO in early 2010 and led to a series of panel debates at security conferences around the country.

He also founded the Rugged Software initiative along with Apple Global Security Director David Rice and Aspect Security CEO Jeff Williams.

--Bill Brenner

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