The market’s focus this week will be on corporate earnings results and economic news. Later today, the minutes of the Jan 27-28 FOMC meeting will be released. On Thursday, initial weekly unemployment claims are expected to decline by -2,000 to 225,000. Also, the Feb Philadelphia Fed business outlook survey is expected to fall by -5.3 to 7.3. In addition, the Dec trade deficit is expected to widen to -$86.0 billion. Finally, Jan pending home sales are expected to increase by +2.0% m/m. On Friday, Q4 GDP is e ...

Core Insights - The rise of non-human entities on the internet has created a significant demand for identity and access management solutions, leading to increased venture capital investment in startups addressing this issue [1] Company Overview - Venice, a 35-person Israeli-American startup, has emerged from stealth mode with $20 million in Series A funding, aiming to replace established players like CyberArk and Okta in the identity management space [2] - Founded over two years ago, Venice's approach includes tackling both cloud-based and on-premises environments, which positions it favorably for large enterprises with legacy systems [3] Leadership and Team - The company is led by Rotem Lurie, who has a strong background in technology and cybersecurity, including experience at Microsoft and Axis Security [4][5] - Venice's team is notably diverse, with nearly half of its workforce being women, which is uncommon in the tech industry [13][14] Product and Technology - Venice's platform consolidates multiple identity and access management tools into a single system, addressing the complexities of hybrid IT environments [9] - The company operates on a SaaS subscription model, focusing on reducing overhead costs associated with traditional enterprise security deployments [10] Market Position and Growth - Venice claims to be "completely replacing" legacy vendors at Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies, significantly reducing implementation time from months to just a week and a half through AI-powered automation [11] - The identity and access management market is projected to exceed $24 billion in 2025, with a 13% increase from the previous year, indicating a strong demand for innovative solutions [12] Investment and Future Outlook - IVP, the lead investor in Venice's Series A, highlights the urgency created by AI agents as a driving factor for investment, emphasizing the need for modern identity management solutions [12] - The competitive landscape raises questions about whether the market can support multiple successful players or if it will consolidate around a few dominant companies [14]

Group 1 - AI technology presents both opportunities and risks, as it can be utilized for beneficial purposes or malicious attacks [1] - The use of AI in cybersecurity allows for rapid identification of vulnerabilities, making it easier for hackers to exploit weaknesses in company defenses [2] - Companies are urged to enhance their security measures around AI, as existing protections can be implemented to mitigate risks [3] Group 2 - Investors are concerned that advanced AI could replace traditional software workloads, impacting the stock performance of companies in the software sector [4] - There is skepticism regarding the feasibility of switching critical systems, such as core banking, to AI-driven solutions due to the need for reliability and security [5] - The rise of agentic AI creates new opportunities for cybersecurity firms, as the number of AI agents will increase, necessitating enhanced protection measures [6]

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Core Viewpoint - The CEO of Palo Alto Networks, Nikesh Arora, emphasized that artificial intelligence will not replace cybersecurity in the near future, expressing confusion over the market's perception of AI as a threat to the cybersecurity sector [1]. Group 1: Company Performance - Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street estimates, yet the guidance for third-quarter earnings fell short of expectations, leading to an 8% drop in shares [1]. Group 2: Industry Trends - The emergence of new AI tools capable of creating enterprise workflows and websites rapidly has contributed to a recent selloff in software stocks, raising concerns among investors about the potential long-term disruption of business models by AI technologies [2].

Core Insights - Varonis Systems, Inc. has been recognized by CRN in the Security 100 list for its commitment to data security and collaboration with channel partners to combat cyber threats [1][4][5] Group 1: Recognition and Awards - Varonis has been honored for the eighth consecutive year in the Identity, Access, and Data Security category, which is crucial as organizations increasingly adopt AI technologies [2][4] - The Security 100 list highlights leading IT security vendors that provide cutting-edge security technologies and services, essential for addressing the growing cybersecurity needs in the AI era [5][6] Group 2: Company Capabilities - Varonis offers a cloud-native Data Security Platform that continuously discovers and classifies critical data, removes exposures, and detects advanced threats using AI-powered automation [7][8] - The company provides a wide range of security outcomes, including data security posture management, data classification, data access governance, data detection and response, data loss prevention, database activity monitoring, identity protection, email security, and AI security [8] Group 3: Industry Context - The emergence of AI technologies has significantly changed the cybersecurity landscape, with AI consuming data at machine speed and increasing the potential impact of data breaches [3] - Strong cybersecurity is deemed mission-critical in today's digital environment, necessitating continuous evolution of security portfolios to stay ahead of emerging threats [6]

Core Insights - Unisys will participate as a gold sponsor in the 2026 Cybersecurity Summit, focusing on strategies for operational resilience and risk reduction in cybersecurity [1] - Philip Swarbrick, Unisys's VP of cybersecurity solutions, will discuss the impact of AI on threat detection and risk management during the panel session titled "AI and Emerging Tech at the 2026 Security Frontline" [1] - Research from Unisys indicates that fewer than 15% of organizations are adopting a proactive cybersecurity approach, highlighting the need for stronger defenses against emerging threats [1] Event Details - The Cybersecurity Summit will take place on February 25, 2026, at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel, with the panel discussion scheduled for 11:30 a.m. EST [1] - The session will address how AI is reshaping risk mitigation and the challenges posed by generative systems and data integrity [1] Industry Context - The cybersecurity landscape is evolving, with increasing risks such as data privacy breaches and social engineering, necessitating collaboration within the industry to enhance defenses [1] - Unisys emphasizes the importance of adopting robust cybersecurity measures to address sophisticated challenges introduced by AI technologies [1]

Core Viewpoint - Palo Alto Networks reported fiscal second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street estimates for both earnings and revenue, but lowered its full-year profit guidance, resulting in a more than 7% decline in shares during after-hours trading [1]. Financial Performance - For fiscal Q2 2026, Palo Alto generated earnings of $1.03 per share on revenue of $2.59 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of $0.94 per share and $2.58 billion in revenue [2]. - The company reduced its fiscal 2026 full-year earnings guidance to a range of $3.65 to $3.70 per share, down from a prior outlook of $3.80 to $3.90, while the consensus estimate was $3.87 [5]. - Palo Alto raised its full-year revenue forecast to between $11.28 billion and $11.31 billion, an increase from the previous range of $10.50 billion to $10.54 billion, exceeding expectations [5]. - For the current quarter, the company projected earnings per share of $0.78 to $0.80 on revenue between $2.941 billion and $2.945 billion, while analysts had expected earnings of $0.92 per share on revenue of $2.61 billion [6]. Business Operations - Palo Alto Networks offers a wide range of cybersecurity solutions, including firewalls, threat intelligence, zero-trust architecture, and secure access service edge (SASE) solutions [3]. - The company serves a significant client base, including nine of the ten Fortune 10 companies, eight of the ten largest U.S. banks, and six of the world's ten largest oil and gas companies [3]. - Recently, Palo Alto completed a $25 billion acquisition of Israel-based CyberArk and announced plans for a dual listing of its shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange [4].

New Vice President of Sales to accelerate software-driven growth across cyber services platform and insurance distribution channels Scottsdale, Ariz., Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CISO Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: CISO) (“CISO Global” or the “Company”), a provider of AI-powered cybersecurity software and compliance services, today announced the appointment of Michael Czerneda as Vice President of Sales. In this role, Czerneda will lead enterprise-wide sales initiatives as the Company accelerates its transiti ...

Performance was driven by a deliberate 'flywheel' motion where customers landing in SASE or Cortex expand into integrated platform architectures to reduce fragmented defense risks. Management attributes the record 110 net new platformizations to a market shift where enterprises are moving beyond AI experimentation toward embedding foundational models into real workflows. The strategy focuses on 'critical control points'—network, endpoint, cloud, browser, and identity—arguing that fragmented security i ...