About TRU Security

Irina joined Acronis in 2017 and in her current role as Cyber Protection Evangelist at CPOC, she conducts online research for the latest cyber threats, attacks, and developments within the malware landscape. She works closely with our partners and customers worldwide driving security awareness initiatives to keep them #CyberFit and resilient.

Nick Grebennikoff is the Chief Development Officer at Acronis. He is a well-known information technology leader with extensive practical experience in both operational and strategic management.

Rick is Director of Product Management at Acronis. He leads Outbound Platform Integrations, including with Remote Monitoring & Management, Professional Services Automation and Cloud Marketplaces. Rick drives’ Acronis strategic projects to make it easier for existing Acronis MSPs and compelling for new partners to sell, manage and bill Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud to their customers, leveraging the tools and processes MSP’s already trust today. Native to The Netherlands, Rick is well respected for this expertise in MSP business and technology, across data protection, cyber security, cloud management and managed hosting on the global managed and cloud services stage. He brings deep and wide experience to Acronis and most importantly its partners, with over 15 years leading Business Development, Cloud Consulting, Product Marketing and Management in regional channels, public software vendors such as Citrix and Commvault, as well as Cloud and SaaS Start-Ups.

Jeff has worked in technology for his entire career and been knee-deep in the hosting and service provider space for 17 years. His career has covered all the angles – from hardware, software, and hosting, to the cloud while working in large enterprises, small startups, and the in-betweens. He specializes in messaging, human behavior, economics, and “solving the human puzzle” of marketing and communications. At Acronis, his mission is to make the Hosting Service Providers (HSP) space safer and more profitable.

Steve honed his skills for over 25 years as a cybersecurity expert at PatchLink, McAfee, BeyondTrust and other technology companies. Mr. Brining holds a Masters in Business Administration in E-Business and Masters in Science in Technology and Innovation Management with specialization in Cybersecurity and is a Commanding Officer in the Arizona Army National Guard. Steve also holds the CISSP certification from ISC2 (Certified Information System Security Professional).

Gerald Beuchelt is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Acronis, bringing decades of experience in information security, privacy, and compliance. Known for his ability to lead cross-functional teams and design cost-effective security programs, Gerald has an impressive track record of managing complex cybersecurity challenges and enhancing organizational resilience.

Gaidar is the President at Acronis, overseeing technical and business education for partners and employees, strategic initiatives for developing the business of Acronis partners, and global partner communication and marketing organization. Gaidar has been with Acronis since 2013, serving in various roles: Business Manager / Chief of Staff to the CEO, General Manager of Consumer Division, Vice President of Online Sales, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Success Officer. For more than six years, Gaidar has primarily focused on helping service providers build and grow their business with Acronis. Before joining Acronis, Gaidar was an Investment Director at a venture capital firm, Runa Capital, and held various roles at Microsoft, primarily responsible for developing technology startups, web development and service providers. Before his corporate career, Gaidar was a scientist specializing in Raman spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations and a software engineer, leading various projects focused on data storage, management and analysis. During his university years, Gaidar worked as a part-time managed service provider, serving the needs of small business customers.

Norbert Biro is a cybersecurity expert with more than a decade of experience in various domains, including malware analysis, detection, research and cybersecurity product assessment. Currently a Senior Security Researcher at the Acronis Threat Research Unit, Norbert is focused on identifying malicious campaigns, researching malware and advanced file formats, and conducting deep investigative research. Before Acronis, Norbert served in threat researcher roles at reputable organizations including VirusBuster, Sophos and MRG Effitas. He was the CTO at MRG Effitas, managing cybersecurity product assessments and testing.

Jozsef Gegeny is a system programmer with a deep-rooted fascination for computer viruses — an interest that began when his first PC was infected. That early experience set the direction of his career. He began his career in 2005 at a small antivirus company, where he spent three years analyzing malware behavior and learning the inner workings of malicious software. After gaining a strong foundation, Jozsef sought out new challenges and international experience, working at larger companies in Spain and Ireland. These roles broadened his technical exposure and helped him develop a solid understanding of low-level systems, software internals and the broader cybersecurity landscape. Over the years, he has built extensive expertise in reverse engineering, debugging and static code analysis. Jozsef has always been driven by curiosity — disassembling binaries, analyzing threats and understanding how things work under the hood. He joined Acronis in 2024, where he continues to grow as part of a talented security team.

Prakas Thevendaran is a Cybersecurity Researcher at Acronis, focusing on automation, behavioral and static rule development, and malware analysis. Since joining Acronis in 2022, he has been dedicated to continuously strengthening threat detection capabilities through research and tooling. Before Acronis, Prakas was a malware analyst specializing in crafting behavioral rules for a malware analysis sandbox product. With more than nine years of experience in the cybersecurity industry, he is particularly passionate about reverse engineering and understanding threats at a deeper level.

Santiago Pontiroli is a cybersecurity expert leading threat intelligence efforts at Acronis as part of the Acronis Threat Research Unit (TRU). He specializes in analyzing nation-state actors, criminal organizations and financially motivated threat groups, focusing on malware analysis, reverse engineering and creating advanced detection capabilities using tools like YARA, Sigma and Suricata. Beyond his work at Acronis, Santiago is an active contributor to the cybersecurity community. He has authored articles and whitepapers and presented his research at renowned global conferences, including Virus Bulletin, CARO, Nuit du Hack, MITRE ATT&CK, BlueHat, AVAR, 8.8 and ekoParty. His work reflects his dedication to advancing the fight against cyberthreats worldwide.