Protegrity, a global leader in data security and privacy, announced Michael Howard as Chief Executive Officer. Marked by a proven track record of driving innovation and transforming businesses into global powerhouses. Howard’s experience across enterprise software, specializing in database management, cloud computing, security, machine learning and Generative AI will prove invaluable as he leads Protegrity into its next phase of growth. Most recently, Howard led groundbreaking software initiatives in Deep tech at RoadRunner Ventures Studio and in Text-to Analytics at Bodo.ai. Prior to this, Michael served as CEO at MariaDB, where he evolved MariaDB into a global brand, top 5 database, used by 75% of the Fortune 500, and reaching 60m+ users via Linux Distros. While Howard has become a fierce advocate of Open-Source and Source-Available licenses, he has years of experience leading proprietary product lines at at Oracle, Veritas, EMC, and C9.
As security threats advance and increase, current and future Protegrity customers will continue to secure innovation under Howard’s leadership.
“The road forward for Protegrity is exciting and collaborative, and I’m pleased to be part of this new journey with our customers and partners,” said Howard. “Protegrity’s leadership team is unafraid to challenge outdated practices and misconceptions in the industry.”
Howard’s appointment to CEO began December 9th, 2024, and preludes upcoming ventures in quantum resiliency, integrating GenAI into Protegrity data protection solutions for secure data utilization.
About Protegrity
At Protegrity, we design data protection solutions that enable our customers to expand how they use their data. We support some of the world’s most innovative organizations—including Fortune 500 leaders in finance, healthcare, and global enterprise—to push boundaries, harness the full potential of their data, and meet the most demanding compliance standards while maintaining the highest standards of security and compliance of global regulations and emerging frameworks.
Protegrity has a bold vision for data security and privacy based on how our customers seek to use their data with as little friction as possible. We have innovated around this intersection of data and privacy throughout our history and continue to seek smarter ways to attain data value with lower data risk. Data protection isn’t a one-size-fits-all problem. That’s why we take a flexible, forward-looking approach, helping you reduce risks while enabling new opportunities for growth. Whether you’re preparing for the future of AI, exploring global data sharing, or tackling new security challenges, we’re here to help you adapt and succeed. With technologies like tokenization, anonymization, and encryption, Protegrity ensures sensitive data is protected across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments—delivering confidence in an era of escalating threats.
From quantum-resilient security to AI-driven advancements, we’re shaping the future of data protection. But it’s not just about the technology—it’s about the people. We strive to have a culture of innovation, collaboration, and purpose so that we can deliver to our customers the value from our solutions they expect.
Let’s secure your data and your future. Learn more at Protegrity.com.
