SmartStateIndia
Cybersecurity Interview

Forcepoint to drive next-gen cybersecurity solutions by leveraging Indian talent pool

samir shah forcepoint

Internet security is and is going to be the most talked-about topic for most enterprises. The 2020 pandemic has contributed a lot to the shift of work culture in almost all enterprises. Working from home has become a go-to strategy for most because it saves a lot in time and cost. In addition, India’s internet connectivity has penetrated almost all tiers of cities. And this leads to one big major concern that we started with i.e. internet security. The hybrid work culture and remote work have given a huge opportunity to phishers, hackers, and extortionists.

In connection to the ever-increasing attacks on enterprises, we had a great opportunity to have a chat with Mr. Samir Shah, VP & GM, Forcepoint India Innovation Center, about the scenario and trends of security and threats in the year 2022. In the following conversation, he talked about the new technologies to counter new and upcoming threats.

Tell us about Forcepoint’s new India Innovation Center (IIC), and what are the company’s expansion plans for India.

We are very excited to share that we have launched the Forcepoint India Innovation Center (IIC), a new state-of-the-art technology centre of excellence near Mumbai in Thane, Maharashtra. The establishment will help to achieve our objective of speeding up our mission to simplify security for the benefit of organizations across the globe. At IIC, we are looking to foster an innovative culture at the intersection of cybersecurity and cloud computing. It will also place India as a global R&D hub of security.

The centre will also tap into the region’s technical and engineering talent to enable the rapid development and deployment of new capabilities for Forcepoint’s Security Service Edge (SSE) platform. We are hiring more than 200 software architects, cloud computing developers, DevOps engineers, quality assurance, and professionals with a variety of technical talents in the initial phase of its expansion. We are enthusiastic to tap into India’s vast talent pool, which will be crucial in carrying our objective forward.

From your perspective, how mature is the cybersecurity market in India? What are your focus or priority areas to tap into the Indian market?

The critical need for cybersecurity proliferated amidst the pandemic. Aspects such as rapid digitization, greater regulatory attention on data and privacy, and growing boardroom understanding of cyber risks drove this surge. In terms of process and technology, the services industry has experienced substantial growth. The delivery of services is evolving, with platforms and assets that may automate certain aspects of the process, reducing the number of employees necessary to perform repetitive, non-value-adding work. We see India as a growing hub in cybersecurity, thanks to conducive regulations, an expanding skilled talent pool, domain expertise, and a connected ecosystem with start-ups.

Forcepoint’s objective is to help customers decrease the administrative burden of traditional point product approaches and simplify security operations. The new Forcepoint India Innovation Center will be the development centre for new features and capabilities for this industry-leading platform. Forcepoint’s objective is to help customers decrease the administrative burden of traditional point product approaches and simplify security operations. The new Forcepoint India Innovation Center will be central to the development of new features and capabilities for this industry-leading platform.

Ransomware tops the list of security concerns for any organization, so what trends do you see coming in the cyber threats and security domain in 2022? What measures should organizations take to counter those?

The internet has changed the way we live, work, and play. While the internet improved our connectivity and efficiency, it also introduced a slew of emerging threats, such as cyber hacking, online attacks, and the need for cybersecurity. Being cognizant of the various types of protocols, exploits, tools, and resources used by malicious actors can help prevent these attacks. Furthermore, recognizing where and how assaults are likely to occur ensures that enterprises take proactive efforts to safeguard their systems. The right countermeasure must be deployed to prevent bad players from exploiting vulnerabilities. The assessment and implementation of security controls are the first line of defense for any company. A few additional measures include:

• Developing cyber security policies
• Implementing security awareness training
• Installing spam filters and anti-malware software
• Deploying Zero Trust
• Installing endpoint detection & response (EDR)

What kind of strategy do you suggest for organisations to secure their perimeter because most employees would be using the unsecured Internet connection to connect to the enterprise network?

The consequences of the post-pandemic phase have seen the popularity of hybrid work or even remote work, catapulting more opportunities for phishers, hackers, scammers, and extortionists to act. Unfortunately, there is no indication of this slowing down in 2022. Hence, individuals and organizations must be aware of the ever-increasing attacks, their nature, and the counterplan or recovery plan to limit the threat occurrences or impacts.

Today’s altering nature of work and more complex and ever-evolving threat landscape should reflect in the security plans. Dynamic security solutions that secure data and applications round-the-clock, regardless of physical network, must replace perimeter-based security approaches (such as firewalls). Advanced anti-malware and monitoring tools, cloud-based infrastructure, and applications that receive security upgrades can all assist.

What would be the new type of cyber-threats that might arise in the year 2022-23 for which organizations should be prepared?

With the rise of cybercrime, new and conventional digital threats will become more common in 2022. Most organizations must think about safeguarding their financial systems, avoiding fraud, and paying more attention to new threats. Threats such as synthetic identity fraud, ransomware, phishing, and email impersonation will continue to evolve. While the aforementioned are external elements, poor cyber hygiene, cloud vulnerabilities, and poor data management are some of the internal aspects to be looked at.

It might be overwhelming to stay informed and fight against new cybersecurity dangers as they emerge, but it is also critical. Even the most well-fortified cybersecurity system can’t guarantee protection against attacks since hackers labour around the clock to devise new attack techniques faster than companies can upgrade their defences. That’s why it’s critical to have a solid cybersecurity strategy in place so that the consequences of possible cyberattacks don’t cripple your business.

Keeping the ever-evolving threat landscape, what are the new product offerings from Forcepoint? And, what are the new technologies you are focusing on to counter the new threats?

Forcepoint recently launched Forcepoint ONE, the industry’s first ‘easy button’ for securing enterprises with hybrid workforces. The Forcepoint ONE all-in-one cloud platform simplifies security for traditional and remote workforces, allowing users to gain safe, controlled access to business information on the web, in the cloud, and in private applications. We also offer cloud security, data security, threat protection, and network security. As a global cybersecurity firm, we protect businesses and foster digital transformation and growth. We offer solutions that adapt in real-time to how people interact with data yet allow secure access.

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