Baidwan Joins Knox Systems as Executive CISO to Advance AI-Driven Cloud Security and Cyber Automation Strategy
NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, March, 2026 — Knox Systems (“Knox”), the largest federal AI-managed cloud provider, today announced it has appointed Hemant Baidwan as its Executive Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Baidwan, widely respected and lauded for his leadership, served as Chief Information Security Officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), where he successfully advanced cybersecurity strategy for one of the largest federal enterprises, strengthening national cyber resilience and modernizing security across hundreds of systems and mission-critical networks. He also served as an inaugural member of the FedRAMP Board and as Vice Chair of the federal CISO Council.
In his role as Knox Executive CISO, Baidwan will lead the company’s cybersecurity program, strengthening security across Knox’s AI-driven cloud platform while advancing innovative approaches to automated compliance and secure federal cloud adoption. He will also help guide customers through their FedRAMP journey, leveraging Knox’s differentiated model that enables authorization within 90 days for 90% less. Drawing on his extensive federal cybersecurity leadership and deep FedRAMP expertise, Baidwan will support Knox and its customers to accelerate secure cloud adoption, streamline authorizations and strengthen cyber resilience.
“Drawing on my experience leading federal cybersecurity and FedRAMP initiatives at DHS, I’m excited to join Knox Systems and help customers deliver secure, innovative cloud solutions to government and defense agencies,” said Hemant Baidwan, Executive CISO at Knox Systems. “Knox is uniquely positioned to transform how organizations achieve FedRAMP by dramatically accelerating the authorization process while maintaining the highest standards of security. Together, we can help agencies adopt advanced technologies at the speed their missions demand.”
While at DHS, Baidwan led several transformative cybersecurity initiatives that strengthened security across one of the federal government’s largest technology environments. His work included advancing Zero Trust implementation, launching the Hack DHS vulnerability disclosure program, developing the Unified Cybersecurity Maturity Model to improve enterprise risk visibility and modernizing risk management through automation and a risk operations model that enabled faster prioritization of cyber risk remediation. Baidwan also contributed to advancing federal AI cybersecurity policy and cyber supply chain security initiatives, earning multiple industry and federal leadership and innovation awards for his impact.
Baidwan’s appointment further underscores the strength of the Knox value proposition, reflected in the many former government executives serving on its Federal Advisory Board and in other roles. They are helping advance the company’s mission of delivering secure, cutting-edge software and cloud solutions to U.S. government agencies through streamlined FedRAMP authorization. Former government executives working with Knox include:
- Carrie Lee, Former Deputy CIO of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- David Epperson, Former Deputy CIO of the Executive Office of the President and the first CIO and CISO of CISA
- Chad Tetreault, Former DHS Deputy CTO and Deputy Chief AI Officer
- John Zangardi, Former CIO of the Department of the Navy and Former DHS CIO
- Drew Myklegard, Former Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
“Hemant Baidwan is one of the most trusted and highly regarded cybersecurity officials to have ever served in government, and we look forward to the immediate impact he will make as our new CISO,” said Knox CEO Irina Denisenko. “He will be responsible for driving technical excellence at Knox Systems and ensuring our customers can deliver the government the highest standards of secure, FedRAMP-compliant solutions. Our mission is clear and direct – get modern software into federal agencies faster and directly improving mission readiness, strengthening national security and accelerating public-sector innovation.”
Traditional FedRAMP often costs $2-5 million up front with annual costs exceeding $1 million. Knox’s pre-authorized environment reduces first-year costs by 90% and significantly lowers ongoing expenses, making federal entry realistic for the majority of Enterprise SaaS. The U.S. Government spends $100 billion per year on software, but fewer than 500 SaaS applications are available for the U.S. Government, out of over 30,000 that are commercially available.
As one of only two major operators in this category, with Palantir being the other, Knox runs the largest multi‑cloud federal boundary across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, enabling unmatched flexibility through a bring‑your‑own‑architecture model. The company currently holds Authorizations to Operate (ATOs) across 15 federal civilian and defense agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce, the Food and Drug Administration, and others.
