Acalvio appoints former CIA Chief Operating Officer Andrew Makridis to Federal Advisory Board

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Acalvio Technologies, the leader in cyber deception technology, today announced the appointment of Andrew “Andy” Makridis, former chief operating officer of the CIA, to the company’s Federal Advisory Board. With a 37-year tenure at the CIA, Makridis has a reputation for being a mission-driven and impactful leader.

Makridis joins Four-Star Navy Admiral James Winnefeld as an inaugural member of the growing board. Founded in February 2023, the Federal Advisory Board will advise Acalvio in the intelligence sphere and provide expert approaches to meet federal government needs. Guidance from the board will enable Acalvio to better serve the U.S. government agencies in improving their cybersecurity defenses and in following evolving legislation and strategy, as most recently outlined in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 and the National Cybersecurity Strategy, announced on March 1, 2023.

“The growing dexterity of cyber attackers and the increased frequency of zero day attacks are necessitating the evolution of cybersecurity towards Active Defense," said Makridis. “Cyber deception and Acalvio’s Active Defense technology is a crucial step in making progress towards this. I look forward to working alongside the Acalvio leadership team and Admiral Winnefeld on pertinent intelligence and national security issues.”

Makridis has served in a number of positions in the Directorate of Intelligence including management and expert analyst roles, where he worked on important national intelligence objectives like the North Korea Missile Program and investigation into 9/11 and Iraq. In his extensive career, Makridis served as executive assistant for Former United States Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John McLaughlin and Intelligence Briefer for President George W. Bush. Additionally, he served as Assistant Director for the Weapons and Counter Proliferation Mission Center.

“We are honored to welcome Andy to our Federal Advisory Board,” said Ram Varadarajan, CEO and co-founder of Acalvio Technologies. “His robust career at the CIA and intelligence expertise will significantly bolster Acalvio’s presence in the sector. He’s been a driving force with a keen eye for innovation and excellence. His perspective on priorities, strategy, and emerging threats at the federal level make him an invaluable asset.”

Additionally, Acalvio is dedicated to aiding the federal government through their Active Defense technology. This patented and award-winning cyber deception technology actively defends against cyberattacks by deploying a comprehensive layer of deception across the enterprise network in information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) environments and across on-premises and cloud deployments. Acalvio’s patented ShadowPlex Cyber Deception platform enables organizations to detect, engage and respond to malicious activity across hybrid cloud deployments, protecting both IT and OT networks.