Zoom Hires Former Salesforce, Microsoft Security Exec as CISO

Videoconferencing platform Zoom has hired a former Salesforce and Microsoft security expert as its chief information security officer as the company narrows in on the end of a 90-day security improvement plan.

Zoom earlier this week announced the hire of Jason Lee, most recently the senior vice president of security operations at Salesforce. Lee, with 20 years of information security experience, also spent time as the principal director of security engineering at Microsoft. He will begin in the role next week.

Lee joins Zoom as the company’s CISO as it wraps up a 90-day security and privacy plan during which non-security features were frozen in order to improve and enhance the platform’s security measures.

In a statement, Lee said ensuring trust in Zoom’s products is of the utmost importance.

“Zoom is on an incredible journey of growth and I am thrilled to bring my experience of running world-class security organizations to the company,” Lee said.

Zoom has enjoyed monumental growth due to the coronavirus and an influx in remote work brought on by the pandemic. However, that increased use exposed some security and privacy issues that caused the company on April 1 to freeze non-security features and embark on a 90-day plan to address those concerns. The company will exit that plan next week.

Since then, the company has rolled out new security features to allow users to better control who can join meetings and new privacy features that give users more control over their data. Zoom is also planning to offer end-to-end encryption to all users.

Lee will report to Aparna Bawa, Zoom’s chief operating officer, who also stressed the importance of security.

“Our customers’ security is extremely important and is at the core of everything we do,” Bawa said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome Jason, who has deep industry experience, understands the complexity of servicing a wide variety of users, and can lead Zoom’s efforts to strengthen the security of our platform during this time of rapid expansion.”

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