Bret Arsenault U.S. GM/Chief Security Advisor (CSA) National Security Team Microsoft

Bret Arsenault is Microsoft’s U.S. GM/Chief Security Advisor (CSA) leading the U.S. National Security Team. The team executes a cross-business-group and cross-audience strategy that is summed up by three simple tenets: protect the consumer, secure the enterprise (both Microsoft and other platforms), and enable developers to write secure applications.

As CSA, he is responsible for all of Microsoft’s customer-facing Security activities in the U.S. including understanding the Security challenges our customers face, articulating Microsoft’s direction in Security and product roadmaps, and managing Security events throughout the U.S. In addition, Mr. Arsenault is responsible for the Software Security Incident Response Plan (SSIRP) in the U.S. and oversees all communication with U.S. Enterprise customers regarding our Security bulletins.

He has worked extensively on the creation of the Microsoft Security Risk Assessment (MSRA) methodology, which is a standardized framework to assess and provide guidance to Microsoft customers on their security risk. In addition to the MSRA, Mr. Arsenault has been integrally involved in the development of Microsoft’s U.S. Emergency Response Plan, the Worldwide Security Mobilization effort, the Trustworthy Computing Task Force, and is a member of the Microsoft Security Leadership team. 

Mr. Arsenault is also involved at the executive level both with Microsoft customers and partners, holding advisory board roles in several government agencies, security companies and high-profile eBusiness organizations such as eBAY, Buy.com, Saints Ventures, @stake and Intel. In these roles, Bret has received numerous awards including the Architectural Engineer Achievement Award by Bill Gates for his leading Internet work.

Bret joined Microsoft in 1990 and prior to his current role he was the Director of Strategic Technology, where he was responsible for working closely with customers and with the product groups to develop the Microsoft Security strategy. Prior to that, Bret was the Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft’s eBusiness Solutions group.