Meet Marc Simmonds, Ultima’s Head of Security & Networking
Introducing Marc Simmonds, our Head of Cyber and Networking. Mark leads our efforts to protect organisations everywhere.
Tell us about your background and what led you to Ultima.
My career started in virtualisation and backup solutions, but I was drawn to the Security industry by the amazing minds already working there. I also have a passion for coaching, which led me into management. This is where I started building teams of subject matter experts and mentoring individuals to excel in their careers.
When Ultima offered me the role of Head of Cyber Security & Networking, it was a perfect opportunity to bring these two passions together: keeping organisations secure and building a trusted team of experts.
What are the most interesting problems you've worked on this year?
Data Security and AI has been an interesting focus. AI tools transform productivity but they introduce a huge risk of data leakage. Naturally, this is becoming a high priority for IT leaders, but it sometimes feels like uncharted territory; these leaders are dealing with everything from AI policies and governance to the actual culture around AI use. It’s complex and it’s important. I’ve enjoyed helping customers with this a lot.
We tackle three core areas of AI Security in our Data Security Maturity framework – AI model Security, Secure AI development lifecycle, and AI ethics & responsible use. These are some of the controls to prioritise if you want to increase your Data Security posture with an AI focus.
What’s something you wish more business leaders knew about Security?
That Security is a business consideration, not just an IT problem. There's been progress in recent years, but I still recognise a widespread lack of cross-functional collaboration. This collaboration is absolutely critical for large transformation projects. It starts with embedding Security culture as a collective responsibility and goal.
Of course, we recognise that it's no mean feat and that business-wide shifts like this take time and commitment. I love working with customers at this deep, cultural level and seeing them totally transform how their business approaches Security.
What's your advice for IT leaders struggling to get that buy-in and cross-organisational collaboration?
Honestly, my advice is to work with a partner like Ultima. That’s why we exist – because these challenges are too complex and messy to manage on your own. Through our assessments, professional services, and our overall partnership approach we can address them together with you. We can provide practical, specific, stakeholder-relevant insights designed to help you create change, whether that involves retiring systems, investing in new ones, or maximising what you have. And we can help you deliver the change too. We have the scale, expertise, and experience to serve you end-to-end.
At Ultima, we pride ourselves on delivering service excellence. What does that look like for our Security customers?
Customers put a lot of trust in Ultima to lower their susceptibility to attack and help them build cyber resilience long-term. We’re in it for the long game – this is about ongoing, lasting results and business change. The SLAs and methodologies we adhere to help us deliver Security at the pace our customers need while providing peak quality of service. We commit to do everything in our power to make lasting change.
For the customer, that means investing with confidence and embarking on big projects safe in the knowledge we won't let them down. They know there’s always someone there to rely on and deliver what they need. I think they feel that it's as important to us as it is to them.
What's been the highlight of your year – one in-work and one out-of-work?
In work, it's been defining our own Security strategy, aligning it with our core values, and seeing it positively impact our customers.
Out of work, my partner and I announced that we are expecting our first child in early 2026, which is a huge step in my personal life!
To assess your current Data Security posture and explore how to lower risks associated with AI, book a Data Security Review.
