Shauli Zacks
Published on: January 15, 2025
SafetyDetectives had the opportunity to sit down with Cam Roberson, Vice President at Beachhead Solutions, to discuss the company’s cutting-edge approach to secure and compliant device management. With a strong background in product management at Apple and experience building a successful advertising agency, Cam brings a wealth of expertise to the cybersecurity space. His nearly two-decade journey with Beachhead Solutions has been marked by innovation, particularly in the development of their robust channel reseller program and the BeachheadSecure platform.
In this interview, Cam sheds light on how BeachheadSecure addresses the growing challenges businesses face in a hybrid work environment, including data encryption, compliance reporting, and endpoint security. He also explains the philosophy behind the company’s unique approach to zero trust, their RiskResponder technology, and the importance of balancing robust security measures with employee productivity. For organizations navigating the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, this conversation offers valuable insights into staying ahead of emerging threats.
What’s your background in and what led you to join Beachhead Solutions?
I actually started out at Apple in product management in their Printing and Imaging Group, in part responsible for the emergence of the desktop publishing market. Having a marketing background, with now graphics and publishing experience, I then started an advertising agency in the San Francisco Bay Area that I successfully sold. One of our clients was Beachhead Solutions, who coincidental with the sale of the agency business (their vendor), asked me to lead their marketing efforts. Among my first initiatives was building out our channel reseller program that now drives much of our MSP partners in our quest to serve SMB/SME customers. The cybersecurity industry has changed a ton in those nearly two decades, but Beachhead’s products have consistently been built around thoroughness, user experience, and support.
How does Beachhead’s platform address the growing need for secure and compliant device management in today’s hybrid work environments?
Your responsibility for data security remains constant regardless of where devices are located or how they’re being used. Whether that device is used in the office, at home, or while traveling, the need for protecting company data remains the same. Our platform, BeachheadSecure, offers layered defenses, including data encryption and automatic access revocation whenever threats are detected.
I say it all the time: good security is good security, and that’s why there’s so much consistency across compliance mandates like NIST 800-171, HIPAA, CMMC 2.0, FTC Safeguards, and more. BeachheadSecure addresses more than 150 of the controls identified by those mandates to easily identify, manage and document/report to satisfy those requirements. The platform centralizes device management and simplifies compliance, offering clear proof that regulatory mandates are being adhered to.
Device encryption is critical for data protection. How does Beachhead approach encryption in scenarios like device compromise or employee termination?
You can consider device encryption as a starting point, and it’s certainly an absolute must. But we must remember that if authentication credentials are known/stolen, NO encryption will protect your data from misuse or theft. Terminated or nefarious employees who have access to passwords will still have access to the data, which can represent a reportable breach and violation of most compliance mandates.
This is why BeachheadSecure takes a comprehensive approach, combining layered encryption with robust access controls. Our layered encryption provides additional protection against external hacks and exfiltrated data—which is increasingly critical as threat actors shift to “ransomware 2.0,” focusing on data theft and extortion rather than just encryption—while also supporting the “Least Access Privilege” control required by compliance mandates. System administrators can remotely eliminate access to device data (surgically if needed) and recover it if the device is returned.
Two key distinguishing characteristics set us apart:
- Remote access control, both manual and automated through our RiskResponder™ feature
- Layered encryption that provides defense-in-depth protection while ensuring proper data segmentation
Zero-trust architecture is a big buzzword in cybersecurity right now. How do you balance strict access controls with usability across laptops and mobile devices?
Balance is definitely critical. Rather than taking a strict zero-trust approach that could impact productivity, we believe that a “trust but verify” model is more realistic while still achieving the same security goals. We provide an easy-to-use system that allows security-responsible employees (or Managed Service Providers working with them) to set the parameters of use, and then implement automatic, pre-determined and appropriate responses for the level of risk that is measured.
Through our RiskResponder (part of the BeachheadSecure platform), companies can enforce these parameters in an organizationally appropriate manner as risks escalate. Taking this approach allows businesses to determine what is right for them—whether they want very strict controls or a more forgiving posture to maximize productivity. The key is matching the response to the actual risk level while maintaining security.
What unique challenges do businesses face in securing mobile devices today, and how does your unified console approach provide an edge over traditional MDM solutions?
BeachheadSecure is a security-focused solution that covers all computing devices that can be mobilized—Macs, PCs, phones, tablets, USB storage, and servers. When combined with today’s RMM tools that provide device management, BeachheadSecure’s holistic and comprehensive security posture gives organizations complete coverage of both management and security needs.
Most organizations today are concerned about all threat vectors—not just ransomware, but also insider risk, lost and stolen devices, and compliance violations. Our unified console approach focuses on providing the complete security that compliance requires. We help businesses address the full spectrum of security challenges across their device ecosystem, with particular strength in access control, encryption, and compliance management for their PC and Mac environments.
With the integration of Windows Defender into your platform, how do you envision leveraging native security tools to strengthen endpoint protection?
By most analysts’ estimation, Windows Defender has made tremendous strides in terms of its efficacy. Many though believe that next-gen anti-virus, EDR and XDR solutions are more advanced and necessary to address today’s threats. However, nothing is perfect and with our integration of Defender, we’re offering a third approach that is even more effective—let’s call it layered AV.
BeachheadSecure provides the ability to schedule Defender scans, layering this protection on top of the primary anti-virus tool. Because nothing is 100% effective 100% of the time, BeachheadSecure admins can schedule scans at any frequency they want as a back-up to the primary anti-virus engine. Something gets past the primary AV “goalie” might then get caught in BeachheadSecure’s scheduled Defender scan. The more layers of protection, the better.
How does Beachhead’s platform help businesses streamline compliance reporting and prove security measures in case of device loss or theft?
When a device is lost or stolen, businesses face two immediate challenges. First, they must prove to themselves that no data breach occurred—this isn’t about auditors, it’s about performing a mandatory risk assessment to see if breach notification procedures are necessary. Having evidence that encryption was working at the time of loss (and that you maintain control over data access) is crucial here. Without this proof, organizations will need to notify affected parties and relevant authorities (for example, the Secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS) for HIPAA-regulated organizations).
BeachheadSecure’s compliance reporting capabilities, including both our Compliancy Report and ComplianceEZ features, provide this critical evidence. Our platform documents and provides real-time visibility into active security controls, helping businesses prove their data was protected. This brings peace of mind and helps avoid costly breach notifications when devices are lost or stolen.
For regular compliance auditing, these same tools help organizations demonstrate their ongoing adherence to regulatory requirements. But remember: compliance requires a comprehensive approach beyond just software controls, including physical security measures and employee training.
Beachhead’s RiskResponder technology seems like a standout feature. Can you explain how it works and the types of risk thresholds it monitors?
Our RiskResponder technology has been a popular feature since we released it as part of our platform. The sentinel technology automates responses to specific risk conditions, ensuring quick action when threats arise. RiskResponder measures environmental and behavioral risks, augmenting your malware and technical security protections to fill in key gaps in your security posture.
Whenever these measured threats reach critical thresholds, RiskResponder matches the extent of the threat with an appropriate response through an escalating sequence of responses. For example, it monitors for various potential threat scenarios, such as multiple failed login attempts, devices moving outside geofenced locations, or network-borne attacks. Whenever these conditions are detected, RiskResponder can immediately revoke data access, quarantine the device, or enforce other security measures based on the severity of the risk.
What trends in mobile and endpoint security do you think businesses should prioritize in the next few years?
The macro trends are more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks and stricter regulatory enforcement—which mean businesses must prioritize layered security. Attackers targeted one out of every 200 PCs each day in 2024, and this frequency will only rise. AI-powered threats and supply chain vulnerabilities are creating new attack vectors that businesses must prepare for.
Looking ahead, businesses should focus on implementing tools that provide better evidence and management of compliance, along with increased measurement of automated responses based on anomalous behavior and activity. Those that invest strategically in these areas can turn their security capabilities into competitive advantages, particularly when serving security-conscious clients or handling sensitive data.
How do you address customer concerns about implementing robust security measures without disrupting employee productivity?
The traditional zero-trust approach inherently limits productivity. Our approach instead focuses on setting ground rules and monitoring activity—when it exceeds those parameters, we take appropriate automated responses. We’re allowing organizations to determine what’s right for them.
BeachheadSecure is designed to operate seamlessly in the background while providing comprehensive protection. Our automated risk responses happen instantly without requiring IT intervention, and we allow businesses to tailor security policies by role and department. You can choose a more stringent zero-trust approach or opt for a more forgiving posture to maximize productivity. The choice is yours, while still maintaining core protections.
