TalaTek Announces Merger Agreement with CISO Global
FedRAMP-authorized risk management provider now a wholly owned subsidiary of CISO Global
TYSONS CORNER, Va., July 21, 2020 – TalaTek, an integrated risk management firm, announced a definitive merger agreement with CISO Global Corporation (OTC: CISO), a cybersecurity consulting and managed services company.
Under the terms of the transaction, TalaTek is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of CISO Global and will continue to focus on providing integrated risk management services to the federal government and private sector, including delivering risk assessments, IT audits, cybersecurity services and managed compliance services through its software-as-a-service TiGRIS platform, the first FedRAMP-authorized GRC solution.
With the new organizational structure, TalaTek president and founder, Baan Alsinawi is also a Managing Director for CISO Global.
“With our strong growth trajectory, we expect the combination of TalaTek and CISO Global to accelerate our progression of becoming a leading provider of risk management services for the federal government and small to mid-sized businesses,” said Alsinawi. “Our people, processes and technology offer clients an unmatched option for delivering risk management services that are tied to business outcomes. Our holistic approach continues to set us apart from other firms; in fact, this is what attracted CISO Global to us.”
“TalaTek is an excellent fit for the CISO Global portfolio of companies,” said David Jemmett, CEO and founder of CISO Global. “TalaTek’s attractive model for managed security services and consulting services with a focus on the federal government and related security standards provides a clear and synergistic fit with our culture and business. Their technology, people and processes are second to none, and we look forward to growing our business through this valuable combination.”
TalaTek continues to be based in northern Virginia.
As part of its focus on serving both the federal government and the small to mid-size business (SMBs) market, TalaTek recently announced that it plans to add the necessary credentials to offer Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) assessment and certification services to help SMBs in their bid to become compliant with the Department of Defense’s newly evolving standard.
TalaTek is a member of Authorized To Operate (ATO) on AWS, providing consulting services to organizations seeking to achieve FedRAMP and FISMA compliance. In addition, TalaTek’s flagship managed compliance solution, the TalaTek intelligent Governance and Risk Integrated Solution (TiGRIS), is available as a managed service on the AWS Marketplace.
“TalaTek will further enable our differentiation in the marketplace. We stand apart from our competition in that we offer unmatched expertise and experience developing strategies and implementing programs that best secure and protect client data,” Jemmett added.
Alsinawi, co-managing director of the Girls in Tech, D.C. chapter, will continue to serve in this capacity as she looks to mentor local women who are interested in STEM careers and in providing leadership to grow the local chapter.
About TalaTek
TalaTek delivers governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC) solutions with a focus on people, processes and technology. By defining governance through risk and compliance goals that are tied to business outcomes, the cybersecurity firm provides a secure foundation to strategically protect an organization’s data and meet ever-expanding regulatory compliance and audit requirements. Through TiGRIS, a FedRAMP-authorized software as a service, TalaTek simplifies GRC for business and government. Visit www.talatek.com for more information or follow the company on Twitter and LinkedIn.
About CISO Global
CISO Global is a provider of consulting and managed services, focused solely on cybersecurity. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company seeks to expand by acquiring world-class cybersecurity talent and utilizes the latest technology to create innovative solutions that protect the most demanding businesses and government organizations against continuing and emerging security threats.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements involve substantial uncertainties and risks and are based upon our current expectations, estimates and projections and reflect our beliefs and assumptions based upon information available to us at the date of this release. We caution readers that forward-looking statements are predictions based on our current expectations about future events. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our reliance on, and our ability to grow our client base, CISO Global’ ability to continue to acquire and integrate synergistic companies, CISO Global’ ability to achieve and maintain overall profitability, the sufficiency of working capital to realize our business plans, our ability to retain key employees, competition in the cybersecurity services space and the risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading “RISK FACTORS” in Item 1A of CISO Global’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31 2019, and in CISO Global’ other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason.
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Janet Brumfield
Technical Writer
TalaTek
614.582.9636
janet.brumfield@idealprplus.com
Q&A: TalaTek and CISO Global Talk About their Merger
In this blog post, CISO Global CEO Dave Jemmett and TalaTek President Baan Alsinawi talk about what this merger means to their organizations and their customers.
Tell us more about CISO Global and its mission.
Dave: At CISO Global, our mission is to bring together key talent that is in high demand and help alleviate the severe shortage of cybersecurity professionals. Through our model, we believe that we have the unique ability to help organizations grow by supplementing in-house resources and streamlining cybersecurity services to deliver a comprehensive, end-to-end security program that is vendor and technology agnostic.
CISO Global is acquiring companies with specialties across all areas of cybersecurity to create a well-rounded team that covers all modalities. This way we are enabling up-and-coming cybersecurity firms to expand their capabilities by adding them to our larger, deeper team of experts and to help them extend their reach for service offerings to a global level.
What interested CISO Global in a merger with TalaTek, and vice versa?
Dave: TalaTek has a stellar reputation in the industry. They are known for speaking the same language as their clients and for being client-centered, making them a very valuable resource for organizations. They have world-class talent with deep expertise and excel at what they do for clients especially those in the federal space. TalaTek also is well aligned with our culture and really makes for a great fit. They exemplify the personal and professional qualities that we are seeking to bring together at CISO Global.
Baan: CISO Global is a growth-oriented company that embraces a shared vision with TalaTek that “cybersecurity is a culture and not a product.” The CISO Global leadership team has extensive experience in emerging growth companies, and its philosophy is in alignment with TalaTek’s long-term objectives—
becoming a leader in the cyber risk management space. CISO Global leadership brings to TalaTek innovative ideas, fresh thinking and a strong market approach, helping to drive our growth and market reach.
What are your future plans for the combined companies?
Dave: Our model is to help CISO Global companies expand and grow through resource sharing, collaboration and knowledge sharing. We are supporting these entities through cross-selling and business development initiatives enabling them to actualize their full potential and to tap into our resources to accelerate their growth.
How can organizations benefit from the newly combined company?
Dave: Organizations can benefit from our national footprint, stellar customer experience and depth in capabilities that we bring to the table – essentially expanding the capabilities of TalaTek. This way our clients can streamline their cybersecurity practices by working with one firm that can oversee all of their needs and ensure a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity. Otherwise, companies can fall victim to fragmented security programs that are either too complex to manage well or ineffective, or both.
Baan: Ciso Global brings to us its strong business acumen and vision in the cybersecurity space. Our two companies’ expertise and capabilities are highly complementary, so this enables us to drive more synergy together and to provide a robust suite of services to our combined federal and commercial customers. Being a CISO Global company allows TalaTek to take advantage of shared resources between our organizations and expand on our professional services delivery when, where, and how our clients need them.
As far as clients, we will continue to provide them with best-in-breed capabilities, proven processes, leading technology and experts in their field. Our goal is to always exceed customer expectations.
What trends do you foresee in cybersecurity this year and into next?
Dave: While none of us have a crystal ball, at CISO Global, we are seeing a great demand from organizations to shore up their networks to meet the ever-increasing regulatory compliance requirements and to accommodate remote workforces. We expect to see more new trends take hold in this current business environment that recognize the unprecedented changes that are occurring today.
Baan: Cybersecurity including risk management should be on every organization’s radar. No organization can afford to pull back on its cybersecurity strategic planning. It really comes down to developing the best policy to proactively protect an organization in an ever-evolving landscape of threats. And that’s where integrated risk management comes into play. TalaTek works with clients to manage their risk, identify critical assets and devise methodologies that are aligned with their risk tolerance and tie this to their desired business outcome.
