“Integrity forms the baseline for success”

SteelCloud's technology automates policy compliance, configuration control, and cloud security. The outcome is the patented ConfigOS software, an automatic STIG/CIS remediation solution. Tony Caputo has been CEO of SteelCloud since July 2021. ConfigOS automates the process of securing networks from cyberattacks, reducing government mandated expenses by 90%. The company was named one of the top 10 cloud security firms in the country while Tony was in charge.

For Tony, there’s one role in every business without peers. The CEO commands the organization’s biggest moves and, according to some accounts, drives 45% of the company’s performance. Whether or not you’re successful in that role depends on many factors, including the experience and philosophy you bring to the table. The expertise Tony brings to the table enables him to implement new processes that streamline work, train and lead salespeople, and create a culture of accountability and teamwork within the company.

Tony supports entrepreneurs and other business leaders by providing guidance, brainstorming strategies to scale their businesses and connecting them with funding resources. But some of his best mentoring comes from leading by example. According to him, the tenets he lives by are:

1. Successful people get that way by doing things others are not willing to do.

2. They are willing to live in discomfort, push past their comfort zones, and take risks. "Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day," Jim Rohn.

3. Making sure you keep your end of the bargain and treating your colleagues with respect are two simple ways to build discipline into your day.

4. A person's tale about why they haven't achieved their goals is the only thing keeping them from attaining them. "I guess I don’t have what it takes" and "I just haven’t found the right fit yet" are very different ways of approaching life, asserts Tony.

Since 2014, Tony Caputo has held partner or CEO positions at technology startups serving the legal, GRC, and cybersecurity industries. This is not Tony's first C-suite post. Throughout his career, he has held many sales and sales leadership positions in the high-tech industry. Working in sales gives you a deep understanding of a company’s products, customers, and supply chain—the big picture view CEOs need. "There's no better training ground," says Tony.

 

In a nutshell, Tony leads by example. With a customer base at the Department of Defense, he's marketing to the same people. Integrity may be an elusive concept, yet it is something that can be measured. In the defense business, this is very important. Tony's general leadership philosophy is to lead by example, and this serves as an excellent foundation for it. As long as everyone is working toward the same goal, Tony is more than glad to get his hands filthy.

Tony foresees leveraging his extensive experience to bring sales automation to the organization. He also sees the cybersecurity automation business expanding into intelligence dashboards, predictive modeling, and more advanced ways of identifying security vulnerabilities and providing automated remediation capabilities.

"SteelCloud is a company whose strategic innovation efforts have netted 12 technology patents. As a result, it has a culture—and an expectation—of continued invention. The future is bright for SteelCloud because it has the capabilities, talent, and spark to create new iterations as needs and technologies progress,” Tony points out.

In the near future, Tony’s plans for the SteelCloud ConfigOS Product Suite include:

• Introducing an agent-based architecture gives customers more control over remote or disconnected endpoints.

• Enhancing the dashboard intelligence that gives customers greater visibility into their enterprise compliance.

• Providing additional support for commercial enterprise security standards and critical infrastructure controls.

SteelCloud is truly the market leader in compliance automation for system controls. But despite our successes, we're not resting on our laurels. Tony says, "We try to outdo ourselves every day." SteelCloud seeks innovation and user feedback to fine-tune their software. No other company possesses ConfigOS's range of patented network security automation capabilities or speed and ease of deployment. SteelCloud has evolved with the government's cybersecurity initiatives for over a decade. So now they not only give STIG and CIS remediation to government organizations, but also CMMC needs to contractors.