“From the cyber security point of view, we recommend that IT security staffers should focus on application security and make sure the applications that are being deployed have gone through penetration testing and have proper encryption, authentication, and authorization,” says Sanjay Katkar, MD & CTO, Quick Heal Technologies. In 2016, the Pune based IT security solution provider has also forayed into the cyber security consulting space by launching Seqrite Services. Through this vertical the company aims to provide managed security services including cyber audit and cyber forensic, security consulting and Security Operations Centre (SoC) to enterprises and government organizations.
Tell us about the company’s enterprise business ?
We are a recent entrant in the Enterprise security solutions industry in India as compared to our competitors, primarily all global players.Having said that, it is also important to take cognizance of the fact that because we are market leaders in the retail segment, we automatically get an edge in the Enterprise segment as well. Our Enterprise Security solutions, Seqrite, has over 25,000 customers and is securing more than a million endpoints. Seqrite was launched in February 2015.
We are investing a lot in new R&D especially in the enterprise space, because the demands of enterprise customers are much higher than that of consumers. Consumer products usually comprise of anti-virus software, which could also be a part of the total security solutions. However, enterprise customers require security solutions which can work in tandem with emerging technologies.
We are working diligently to reach out to more industries with our offerings for the enterprises. Our enterprise solutions are proven, broad-based and capable of addressing the new age challenges.
With continuous cyber threats looming on all kinds of organisations, do you see any substantial change in the buying behavior of your customers?
In 2016, although large enterprises increased their security budgets to enhance the security of their hardware and networks, we also noticed that smaller enterprises are steadily adopting higher levels of security measures. Small Indian enterprises typically look for basic security measures such as anti-virus, anti-spam, and firewall. They have started to adopt more Internet and network security measures. We have also been observing substantial awareness around the need for the security solutions for mobile phones.
What are your recommendations to your customers when it comes to cyber security?
Cyber security threats today have become increasingly sophisticated and complex. Organizations, however, have not been able to evolve at the same pace. As organizations move ahead and embrace new technologies without fully comprehending the implications these have on the entire enterprise, they are rendering themselves vulnerable to an array of cyber security threats. The need for securing the IT infrastructure has been of prime importance for many organizations.
Business owners and IT professionals need to remain ever-vigilant and increasingly proactive with their security and employee education policies and the safeguards they use to protect the endpoints, the network, and everything in between.
From the cyber security point of view, we recommend that IT security staffers should focus on application security and make sure the applications that are being deployed have gone through penetration testing and have proper encryption, authentication, and authorization. This is very important when preparing for handling targeted attacks, especially if the applications are handling sensitive data.
With cyberespionage, hacktivism and nationalized attacks causing greater damage than ever, we intend to combat these new-age threats with advanced detection techniques and innovative solutions. Enterprises are the backbone of our economy and we look forward to fostering industry growth by allowing networks to flourish without having to worry about IT security.
Kindly share your investment and expansion plans for the coming years ?
As part of our expansion plans, we will continue to retain and expand our user base consistently by focusing on Tier II and Tier III towns in India. Besides enhancing our brand presence in the domestic market, we are considering international expansion through consistent brand building and marketing efforts. We are exploring further opportunities in newer territories such as South Africa, Middle East, South East Asia, etc.
Moving ahead, we are making on-going investments in new technology to drive rapid innovation and create business value. Our aim is to deliver operational excellence and thought-leadership on strategic decisions and investment plans. With this, we aim to achieve our desired business goals and improve resiliency in today’s cyber world. We wish to make security an “essential ingredient” of all architecture, and on every platform. We live by our mission to give everyone the confidence to work safely and securely in the digital world, detect threats and correct potential vulnerabilities.