Delaware Picks a Familiar Face to Lead State Cybersecurity

Delaware has officially appointed an internal candidate to fill the state’s vacant chief security officer role.
The Delaware Department of Technology and Information (DTI) announced that Aashish Patel is the agency’s new chief security officer (CSO). Patel had been serving as the state’s interim CSO since early March following the departure of his predecessor, Solomon Adote.

Patel joined the agency in May 2021, as the director of enterprise security operations. In a news release provided via email, the agency said he’s proved to be a “key member” of DTI’s leadership team.

“Aashish has consistently demonstrated the vision, leadership and technical depth that are essential to securing Delaware’s digital future,” state Chief Information Officer Greg Lane said in a statement. “His steady guidance as Interim CSO and his deep commitment to public service make him the right choice to lead our cybersecurity mission forward.”

Before joining the state agency, Patel worked as the global director of corporate cybersecurity at Sapiens, an Israel-based intelligent insurance software solutions company. In his nearly 30-year career history of data center and infrastructure management and cybersecurity, he has also held positions at Adaptik, Lucent, AT&T and IBM.

Patel’s predecessor, Solomon Adote resigned from the CSO position in March of 2025 and now works a similar role in the private sector. Gubernatorial changes notwithstanding, state CIO Gregory Lane has remained in place this year under Gov. Matt Meyer’s administration; he was named to the role in 2023 by then-Gov. John Carney. Delaware released a new state policy in July for the use of generative AI.