How CISOs describe security at MicroAge, TD SYNNEX and Unisys

What the materials cover

Three companies supply the source material here: MicroAge, a solutions integrator; TD SYNNEX, an IT distributor; and Unisys, a technology services company. MicroAge has the most material, with a January 8, 2025 press release and a May 27, 2025 blog post signed by its CISO. TD SYNNEX appears through a biography of its Global CISO published by the National Security Institute at George Mason University, and the page carries no date. Unisys appears through a leadership page for its CISO, also undated.

The documents differ in kind. One is an appointment announcement, one is a CISO's own writing, and two are biographies. What each says about the role depends on who wrote it and why.

How MicroAge defines the role

The company's announcement dated January 8, 2025 says MicroAge, a leading full-service solutions integrator, promoted Alex Ryals to Chief Information Security Officer. The announcement says Ryals had served as MicroAge's Vice President of Cybersecurity Solutions and Strategy.

The announcement describes the job in three parts. It says that as CISO, Ryals will spearhead efforts to strengthen security frameworks, safeguard client operations, and drive innovation. The word "client" sits inside the security mandate itself. The announcement points outward to the people MicroAge serves, and it does not describe the role as only an internal function.

The same announcement shows where the company puts cybersecurity. Its "About MicroAge" section says the firm's team of consultants brings expertise in cybersecurity, data center technologies, implementations, managed IT services, and more. Cybersecurity is therefore one of the services MicroAge sells, which fits the Vice President title Ryals held before the CISO appointment. The press release does not say whether the CISO role also covers MicroAge's internal systems.

What the CISO's own writing emphasizes

The MicroAge blog post of May 27, 2025 is signed by Ryals as Chief Information Security Officer. It addresses other security leaders directly, saying CISOs and senior risk management professionals know the stakes for governance, risk, and compliance have never been higher.

The subject is governance, risk and compliance platforms. Ryals writes that modern GRC platforms are the backbone of enterprise security and compliance. He lists the frameworks a buyer should decide to support: ISO, NIST, SOC 2 or GDPR. He also tells readers to assess whether they must manage several frameworks at once.

Two points in the post bear on the CISO's responsibilities. The first is third-party risk. Ryals says modern platforms include vendor risk management capabilities and automated responses to third-party security questionnaires using GenAI. The second is organizational support. He says successful adoption requires executive buy-in and organization-wide alignment.

The post ends with an offer to help readers build a requirements list and shortlist, with a phone number and a link to schedule time with MicroAge experts. The security leader's writing and the company's services are presented side by side.

The channel background in MicroAge's biography line

A biography line on the blog page says Ryals has more than 20 years of expertise in cybersecurity, solution architecture, and leadership. It also says he has experience across the client, partner, distributor, and reseller sides. The announcement uses similar framing for the company. It says MicroAge moves quickly with technology changes across the channel.

In these two documents, then, the qualification for the seat is breadth across the channel's roles: buyer, partner, distributor and reseller.

TD SYNNEX: a Global CISO with a government and defense record

The National Security Institute biography calls Alicia Lynch the Global CISO for TD SYNNEX. It says she has over 25 years of cyber experience spanning commercial, private sector, Department of Defense, federal government, and the Intelligence Community. The word "Global" in the title is the only description of the role's scope on this page.

The biography says she retired from the US Army as a Colonel in 2012 after serving as both an Intelligence and Cyber Officer. It lists later positions that include Chief Information Security Officer at SAIC, Deputy CISO at Accenture Federal Services, and VP of Enterprise Solutions at a cyber startup.

The page also records peer-community work, including service as the founding Chairwoman of the WashingtonExec CISO Council. It does not list duties, reporting lines or a security program for TD SYNNEX. As a source on how TD SYNNEX defines the CISO's responsibilities, it is silent.

Unisys: a program owner with a stated mandate

The Unisys leadership page gives the most explicit job description of the three. It says Chris Jacquet establishes and maintains the corporate-wide information security management program. It adds that he works with executive management to ensure compliance with company policies, determine acceptable levels of risk and protect assets as the company serves clients.

Here the role is built around a program, policy compliance and a shared decision on acceptable risk. The mention of serving clients ties the internal program to the company's business.

Unisys also sells security. A page on its site says Unisys delivers business solutions with built-in security to defend digital assets, counter threats, earn customer confidence, and meet compliance standards.

Product-company experience in the biographies

None of the four documents describes what a CISO does at a product company, so no side-by-side definition is available. The Unisys biography does show product-company experience in a CISO's career, though. It says he held progressively senior roles at Hitachi Vantara from 2016 to 2022. It says he spent 26 years at Hewlett-Packard before roles with software companies Symantec and Marketo. It also says he led cybersecurity and compliance for the Information Technology and Vehicle Digital Security business at Hertz.

Across the three companies, the materials show a few shared points. The MicroAge announcement and the Unisys page both tie the CISO to clients. MicroAge and Unisys both sell security services. The biographies draw on varied backgrounds, from channel roles at MicroAge to defense and intelligence service at TD SYNNEX to software and technology firms at Unisys.