Cyxtera appoints Brigadier General Greg Touhill as president of newly formed federal division

Cyxtera Technologies, headquartered in Coral Gables, FL, announced on July 11 the appointment of Brigadier General Gregory Touhill as president of the newly formed Cyxtera Federal Group (“CFG”), which will offer Cyxtera’s data center services and cybersecurity capabilities to federal agencies and departments.

Prior to joining Cyxtera, Touhill was appointed by President Barack Obama as the nation’s first ever federal chief information security officer in 2016, where he was responsible for ensuring that the proper set of digital security policies, strategies and practices were adopted across all government agencies.

“We are excited to announce the further expansion of Cyxtera’s business with the launch of Cyxtera Federal Group, and we could not have found a finer leader than Greg Touhill to head this endeavor,” said Manuel Medina, CEO of Cyxtera. “CFG will bring to bear the full capabilities of Cyxtera’s data centers and cybersecurity solutions to service the important security needs of federal agencies and departments, providing dedicated focus to service our existing public sector clients, and investing in solutions tailored to meet the needs of government agencies. There is truly no one better to lead this business than Greg, who is one of our country’s premier cybersecurity experts. His experience as the first federal CISO of the United States will be invaluable to our company and our government customers.”

Under Touhill’s leadership, Cyxtera Federal Group will support agencies across the federal government with a portfolio of secure infrastructure solutions delivered from a global footprint of world-class data centers, including six in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, where the division will be based.

“Cyxtera’s technology and capabilities are among the most innovative and effective in the marketplace, and it is an honor to join their world-class team,” said Touhill. “I have spent my entire professional career defending our country, and I’m looking forward to joining the private sector to help create efficient, effective and secure solutions to protect the federal government’s critical information systems, on which our citizens and institutions rely.  With cyberattacks on the rise in frequency and severity, it is more important now than ever that we effectively secure our systems, networks and data.”

Touhill is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and combat veteran who served in several commands around the world including U.S. Transportation, Central, and Strategic Commands, and led the creation of the Air Force’s cyberspace operations training programs. He is a sought-after speaker and author within the information technology industry, where he is best-known for his “Cybersecurity for Executives: A Practical Guide,” which is used widely at colleges and universities across the country. He is also a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, where he teaches cyber risk management.  Touhill is a recipient of numerous professional and education degrees from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the Air War College, the University of Southern California and Penn State University.

Source: Cyxtera