SEATTLE, Nov. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader in unified cybersecurity and Vector Capital (“Vector”) portfolio company, today 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.
Under Vats’ leadership, WatchGuard re-energized innovation, strengthened operational execution, and accelerated AI adoption. The company also modernized 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.
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 organizations through periods of transformation, scale, and integration. Most recently, he helped drive a ten-fold 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.
“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 leader 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 organizations 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.”
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.
“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.”
Recognized by Industry Analysts, Trusted by IT Professionals
WatchGuard is consistently recognized by leading industry analysts, independent testing organizations, and peer review platforms for innovation and leadership in cybersecurity.
Recent highlights include recognition in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Hybrid Mesh Firewall, Champion in the Canalys Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix, and a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape for Hybrid Firewall. WatchGuard was also named a Leader and Outperformer in GigaOm Radar Report for EDR and a Leader in the SPARK Matrix for NDR.
Independent validation through MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK® Evaluations and other testing further demonstrates the strength of WatchGuard’s advanced threat detection and prevention capabilities.
Customers on TrustRadius and Gartner Peer Insights consistently praise WatchGuard for ease of deployment, reliability, and exceptional support, reinforcing its commitment to delivering enterprise-grade security that’s accessible and trusted worldwide.
About WatchGuard Technologies
WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. is a global leader in unified cybersecurity. Our Unified Security Platform® approach is uniquely designed for managed service providers to deliver world-class security that increases business scale and velocity while improving operational efficiency. Trusted by more than 17,000 security resellers and service providers to protect over 250,000 customers, the company’s award-winning products and services span network security and intelligence, advanced endpoint protection, multi-factor authentication, and secure Wi-Fi. Together, they offer five critical elements of a security platform: comprehensive security, shared knowledge, clarity & control, operational alignment, and automation. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit WatchGuard.com.
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WatchGuard is a registered trademark of WatchGuard Technologies, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
About Vector Capital Management, L.P.
Vector Capital is a leading, San Francisco-based investment firm focused on transformational investments in middle-market technology and technology-enabled businesses. Founded in 1997, Vector manages over $4 billion of capital across credit and private equity strategies on behalf of a high-quality group of global limited partners. For nearly 28 years, Vector has combined technology investments with operational transformation to deliver breakthrough results. For more information, visit www.vectorcapital.com.
WatchGuard Technologies, Inc watchguard@inkhouse.com Nathaniel Garnick / Grace Cartwright Gasthalter & Co. (212) 257-4170 vector@gasthalter.com
