Bill Conner
Encyclopedia
F. William "Bill" Conner is an American
business executive currently with Entrust
. Conner is involved in business and public-private initiatives that are building coalitions to protect information and online infrastructures in the United States and internationally. On a corporate level, he is a proponent of elevating information security
to the corporate governance
level.
. In 1981, he received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University
in mechanical engineering
and later earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
in 1987. Currently, he lives in Dallas, Texas
with his wife.
including senior engineer, operations manager and strategic planner
.
Conner held executive positions at Nortel Networks from 1992 to 2001. As the President of Enterprise Data Networks for Nortel, he managed its $9 billion acquisition of Bay Networks
. He also served as the first Chief Marketing Officer of Nortel, launching the global marketing campaigns “Come Together” and “What Do You Want the Internet to Be?”
and President of Entrust
, a private software company that specializes in identity-based security. Conner is responsible for the creation and delivery of identity-based security software and services. Upon joining the firm in 2001, he launched a restructuring effort to return the company to profitability as the company was losing $25 million per quarter. He launched a new business model focusing on product portfolios targeted to key verticals and geographies.
Conner engineered the company’s acquisition by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2009, and transitioned Entrust into a private firm. In 2010, Entrust reported 24 percent overall product growth along with an EBITDA
(earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin of 27 percent.
. He helped unveil the INTERPOL Global Smart eID Card and addressed the United Nations
on global challenges in cybercrime in June 2010 He co-chaired the Corporate Governance Task Force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Cybersecurity Partnership He has been a member of the Business Software Alliance
and the Cyber Security Industry Alliance(now a branch of TechAmerica
technology trade association) He created and co-chaired the Information Security Governance Task Force of the Business Software Alliance
He is a member of the Enterprise Software Roundtable
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
business executive currently with Entrust
Entrust
Entrust Inc. is a $100 million privately-owned software company with 350 employees. It provides identity-based security software and services in the areas of public key infrastructure , multifactor authentication, Secure Socket Layer certificates, fraud detection, digital certificates and mobile...
. Conner is involved in business and public-private initiatives that are building coalitions to protect information and online infrastructures in the United States and internationally. On a corporate level, he is a proponent of elevating information security
Information security
Information security means protecting information and information systems from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, perusal, inspection, recording or destruction....
to the corporate governance
Corporate governance
Corporate governance is a number of processes, customs, policies, laws, and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled...
level.
Education and personal life
Conner was born and reared in ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. In 1981, he received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and later earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1987. Currently, he lives in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
with his wife.
Career
From 1981 to 1992, Conner held positions at AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
including senior engineer, operations manager and strategic planner
Strategic planning
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy. In order to determine the direction of the organization, it is necessary to understand its current position and the possible avenues...
.
Conner held executive positions at Nortel Networks from 1992 to 2001. As the President of Enterprise Data Networks for Nortel, he managed its $9 billion acquisition of Bay Networks
Bay Networks
Bay Networks was a network hardware vendor formed through the merger of Santa Clara, California based SynOptics Communications and Billerica, Massachusetts based Wellfleet Communications on July 6, 1994...
. He also served as the first Chief Marketing Officer of Nortel, launching the global marketing campaigns “Come Together” and “What Do You Want the Internet to Be?”
Entrust
Conner is the Chief Executive OfficerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
and President of Entrust
Entrust
Entrust Inc. is a $100 million privately-owned software company with 350 employees. It provides identity-based security software and services in the areas of public key infrastructure , multifactor authentication, Secure Socket Layer certificates, fraud detection, digital certificates and mobile...
, a private software company that specializes in identity-based security. Conner is responsible for the creation and delivery of identity-based security software and services. Upon joining the firm in 2001, he launched a restructuring effort to return the company to profitability as the company was losing $25 million per quarter. He launched a new business model focusing on product portfolios targeted to key verticals and geographies.
Conner engineered the company’s acquisition by private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2009, and transitioned Entrust into a private firm. In 2010, Entrust reported 24 percent overall product growth along with an EBITDA
EBITDA
EBITDA is an acronym for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. It is a non-GAAP metric that is measured exactly as stated. All interest, tax, depreciation and amortization entries in the income statement are reversed out from the bottom-line net income...
(earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) margin of 27 percent.
Cybersecurity and infrastructure global trends
Conner has been active in various public-private partnerships on cybersecurity, cybertheft and infrastructure securityInfrastructure Security
Infrastructure security is the security provided to protect infrastructure, especially critical infrastructure, such as airports, highways rail transport, hospitals, bridges, transport hubs, network communications, media, the electricity grid, dams, power plants, seaports, oil refineries, and...
. He helped unveil the INTERPOL Global Smart eID Card and addressed the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
on global challenges in cybercrime in June 2010 He co-chaired the Corporate Governance Task Force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Cybersecurity Partnership He has been a member of the Business Software Alliance
Business Software Alliance
The Business Software Alliance is a trade group established in 1988 and representing a number of the world's largest software makers and is a member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance...
and the Cyber Security Industry Alliance(now a branch of TechAmerica
TechAmerica
TechAmerica is a US-based technology trade association. It was formed from the merger of AeA , the Cyber Security Industry Alliance , the Government Electronics & Information Technology Association , and the Information Technology Association of America in 2009...
technology trade association) He created and co-chaired the Information Security Governance Task Force of the Business Software Alliance
Business Software Alliance
The Business Software Alliance is a trade group established in 1988 and representing a number of the world's largest software makers and is a member of the International Intellectual Property Alliance...
He is a member of the Enterprise Software Roundtable
Publications
- "Viewpoint: U.K. Breach a Precautionary Tale for U.S.," American Banker, December 2007
- "Cybersecurity: Business Has to Enlist in This War" (co-author), guest opinion column, New York Times, Nov. 17, 2003
- "Vulnerability on the Cyber Front," co-author with Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark, Washington Times, Aug. 19, 2002
External links
- Conner profile on LinkedIn
- Strauss, Steve. "Protect your business from the cybercrime wave" USA Today April 4, 2010 Conner quoted at length in article providing advice for avoiding cybertheft in business accounts
- Bill Saporito “Hack Attack,” Time Magazine on-line, June 23, 2011,Conner quoted in article about recent cybersecurity breaches
- Bill Conner "Cyber Security and the Futility of Finger Pointing," Business Computing World, August 16, 2011