Antoine Harden is direct about the cybersecurity challenge facing government: the problem isn’t just the attackers; it’s how defense has traditionally been approached. “Technology that protects public institutions isn’t a career; it’s a calling,” he told WashingtonExec. As head of public sector at Rapid7, Harden is focused on helping federal, state and local agencies move beyond siloed, reactive security models and toward a more unified, preemptive approach. Drawing on leadership roles at Oracle, Google and Elastic, Harden brings a perspective shaped by both enterprise innovation and the realities of mission-driven government work. In this Q&A, he discusses the shrinking window for vulnerability exploitation, the risks created by disconnected security tools, and why he sees preemption — not reaction — as the future of public sector cybersecurity. Can you provide a brief overview of your professional background and career progression? My career has been built at the intersection of enterprise technology and mission-critical government operations, with leadership tenures at organizations like Oracle, Google, and Elastic. Throughout this journey, my focus has remained constant: solving complex operational challenges for the public sector. Transitioning to Rapid7 was a strategic choice driven by the company’s position as the preemptive security leader. In a landscape where adversaries now weaponize AI and exploit vulnerabilities within hours of disclosure, Rapid7’s Command Platform, which unifies exposure management and detection & response on a single data layer, is exactly what agencies need to get ahead of threats before they become breaches. Why was this the path you chose, and how influential was it to your career? Technology that protects public institutions isn’t a career; it’s a calling. I’ve always gravitated toward roles where what I build has real consequences, and government is the ultimate proving ground for that. This path taught me that technology isn’t just about the software;