Marissa Schmidt is a Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, specializing in AI security and cloud networking. She has deep expertise in security products and solutions for data centers, as well as products that operate in the cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP) for multi-cloud and hybrid multi-cloud environments. Her areas of focus include AI security platforms, GenAI/Agentic AI security, CNAPP, WAAP, WAF, SASE, SSE, and Application Delivery Controllers (ADC).
Marissa advises clients on product management, positioning, strategy, and product differentiation, helping them build and launch competitive products. She also has significant experience in pricing for both on-premises and cloud products, SaaS, and conducting competitive pricing analyses. Additionally, she supports end users with deployments and solutions for WAAP, AI security platforms, CNAPP, AI/Agentic AI security guardrails, and ADCs.
Prior to joining Gartner, Ms. Schmidt worked for Citrix as Senior Director of Product Management with full product lifecycle responsibility of NetScaler/Application Delivery Controller product line which includes software load balancing, global load balancing, web application firewall, application security, SSL encryption/decryption, NIST/FIPS/GDPR compliance, SaaS product introduction, and hardware appliances. She also worked at Nortel and Bay Networks as engineering manager and engineer in routing, switches and load balancing. She is an expert in the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model from Engineering to Product Management roles.
Nortel, Product Line Management and Engineering Management roles, 9 years
Bay Networks, Engineering and Engineering management, 4 years
Citrix, Senior Director Product Management, 14 years
Win the AI Vendor Race
Deliver Excellence in Your Role
Shape the Product Strategy
M.S, Engineering Management, Santa Clara University
B.S, Computer Engineering, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo
Certificate Product Management Program, UC Berkeley
Guiding product managers positioning, strategy and vision for cloud networking products
Helping product managers create products with data protection and layered security
Helping product managers create products that improve network and application performance for on premise and cloud products
Helping product managers create products for hybrid multi cloud
Guiding product managers on competitive pricing for on premise, cloud and SaaS products