The widespread use of digital platforms such as websites, mobile applications, and APIs has made businesses increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats.
In response to these challenges, Indusface leverages its advanced technology platform to detect vulnerabilities and provide interim virtual protection. This approach continues until the identified software vulnerabilities are resolved. In an exclusive interview, Ashish Tandon, CEO and Co-founder of Indusface, shared insights with Analytics Insight regarding the company's strategic directions and industry challenges.
Enterprise Transformation Strategy
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses face both opportunities and risks. Indusface's clients rely on digital platforms for interactions with subscribers, partners, vendors, and employees.
This digital exposure, however, increases susceptibility to security threats
This digital exposure, however, increases susceptibility to security threats. To combat these, Indusface has developed a comprehensive platform integrating a web application scanner, web application firewall, DDoS and bot mitigation tools, CDN, and a threat intelligence engine, serving over 3,000 customers globally.
Industry Focus and Market Approach
Indusface focuses on a broad range of industry verticals, positioning itself as an Application Security SaaS provider crucial to enterprises navigating digital operations.
Key clients include prominent names such as TCS, ICICI Bank, HDFC Ergo, and Start-ups like Darwinbox. To expand its reach, Indusface utilises an experienced sales team alongside a channel network comprising Managed Security Providers and distributors like Redington.
Leadership Insights
Tandon reflects on Indusface's growth journey from a 1 Million ARR to a 5 Million ARR, emphasizing the importance of team collaboration and strategic planning in overcoming competitive challenges. "I believe that nothing can be overpowering if we have the will to do it," Tandon stated, underscoring resilience and strategic foresight as keys to success.
Challenges in the Security Industry
The dynamic nature of technology continually reshapes the security landscape
The dynamic nature of technology continually reshapes the security landscape, creating a constant need for innovative software and service solutions. Indusface addresses these challenges by leveraging advanced technologies, big data, and analytics, enabling its solutions to adapt to evolving and potential future threats.
Indusface has developed a Big Data Analytics platform designed for high performance across complex analytics applications, such as DDoS and bot mitigation. The platform is set to integrate advanced machine learning techniques to offer automated and real-time protection shortly.
The Role of AI in Cyber Security
With a surge in digital transformation efforts following the pandemic, the importance of timely and accurate threat detection has grown.
Indusface is utilizing big data analytics and AI to enhance its cyber threat analysis and prevention capabilities. The integration of diverse datasets from various technological sources helps in crafting a resilient defence framework against existing and emerging threats.
Advice for Aspiring Big Data and Analytics Professionals
Tandon advises those entering the field to focus on actionable and outcome-oriented use cases when implementing Big Data and Analytics projects, ensuring effective and impactful results.
Since most businesses use online platforms like websites, mobile apps, or APIs for their client interactions, they are prone to cybercrime a lot through the internet.
To protect them from such threats, Indusface is using its advanced technology-driven platform, reports such vulnerabilities and threats to the users, and provides virtual protection and security until the software vulnerability is fixed. Analytics Insight has engaged in an exclusive interview with Ashish Tandon, CEO, and Co-founder of Indusface.
How does your company’s strategy facilitate the transformation of an enterprise?
We are living in a digital world where opportunities, as well as risks for digital businesses, are constantly on the rise. Our client’s businesses use online platforms such as websites, mobile apps, or an API to interact with their subscribers, partners, vendors, or employees.
Indusface, using its advanced technology-driven platform provides virtual protection and security
Since these applications and platforms are exposed to the internet, they are also vulnerable to a lot of security risks and cybercrimes. This is where Indusface, using its advanced technology-driven platform, reports such vulnerabilities and threats to the users and provides virtual protection and security until the software vulnerability is fixed.
We have built an award-winning fully managed platform integrating a web application scanner, web application firewall, DDoS, BOT Mitigation, CDN, and threat intelligence engine to provide holistic support and safety to more than 3000 customers across the globe.
Which industry verticals are you currently focusing on? And what is your go-to-market strategy for the same?
As an Application Security SaaS company, Indusface serves a diversity of clientele across almost all major verticals. At the current time, digital operations are a must for every enterprise, and that makes every company a potential client for us.
Currently, some of our major clients include TCS, ICICI Bank, HDFC Ergo, Aegon Life, Aditya Birla Finance, Larsen and Toubro, Marico, Titan, Tata Power, Start TV, etc as well as Start-Ups and SaaS companies such as Darwinbox (Unicorn), SastaSundar (a Flipkart company), NamasteCredit, Qwikcilver (A PineLabs Company), Shopclues, etc., among others.
We are attracting customers across the world through our experienced sales team as well as a Channel Network comprising of Managed Security Providers like TCS, Tata Communications, etc, and Distributors/ VARs like Redington, etc.
What is your leadership mantra?
Indusface has walked down a journey from 1 Million ARR ( Annual recurring revenue) to 5 Million ARR. The process of achieving the right product that fits the market took almost 2.5 years. Over the years, leading one successful venture after another has taught me several leadership lessons.
I believe that nothing can be overpowering if we have the will to do it. The key is to be a team player, choose the right teammates, and do the homework on what needs to be done, who will do it, and how. At no point in time should one be overawed by the competitors’ offering or scale. These thoughts have held me in good stead throughout my journey.
What are some of the challenges faced by the industry?
We use big data, and analytics to ensure that our solutions can identify and respond to evolving threats
The only thing constant with technology is that it is changing. Therefore, the security landscape, tools, and risks are all dynamically altering themselves each day.
In such a scenario, it is the biggest challenge to build the right kind of software and service combination which addresses the customer’s concerns and offers efficient, effective, and quick protection. We have been using best-in-class technologies, big data, and analytics to ensure that our solutions can identify and respond to evolving as well as future threats.
What are the key changes that you have brought into the analytics domain at Indusface?
- We have built a high-performance Big Data Analytics platform.
- Big Data Pipeline will be used for all cases needing complex analytics. eg. DDOS and bot mitigation, behavior analysis, and customs requirements.
- In near future, this will be extended to use advanced Machine Learning techniques to provide fully automated, real-time, high-quality protection.
What have been the most significant challenges that you have faced at the forefront of analytics?
The most important challenge was to organize the data for the high-performance Big Data Analytics platform.
The industry is seeing the rising importance of Big Data Analytics and AI. How do you see these emerging technologies impacting the business sector?
The success of any cyber security solution is going to be dependent on the integration of AI and big data analytics
In the wake of the pandemic, there has been a real surge in digital transformation. Companies are hurriedly adopting new technologies and launching platforms to connect with their audiences. More often than not, security is only considered an afterthought.
As security solutions providers, it is important to quickly and accurately identify vulnerabilities and threats in the new normal. That’s where big data analytics and AI offer advantages that have helped us create superior and robust cyber threat analysis and prevention systems.
The diversity of data gathered from sources like applications, networks, computers, cloud platforms, IoT sensors, APIs, databases, etc is enabling the security analysts and system administrators to plan a framework that can cope with existing and emerging threats. There is no doubt that the success of any cyber security solution is going to be dependent on the integration of AI and big data analytics in the times to come.
What would you advise aspiring big data and analytics candidates?
I would advise all aspirants to focus on outcome-oriented actionable use cases while implementing Big Data and Analytics projects.
