GO PHISH
WE ‘ GO PHISHING ’ WITH HARISH CHIB , VICE PRESIDENT , MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA ,
SOPHOS , ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .
What would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the cybersecurity industry ?
I have spent most of my career working in the IT security industry . One of my key achievements is spearheading the global expansion of Cyberoam ( acquired by Sophos in 2014 ), with a customer base across 125 countries . I have worked with more than 10,000 partners and was able to acquire more than 60,000 customers for Cyberoam . During my career , I successfully led the global sales and business teams in Americas , EMEA and APAC . I also managed the channel marketing team and the global pre and post sales technical support team .
Post the acquisition of Cyberoam , I took over the Middle East and Africa region for Sophos under the combined and larger organisational structure . Since then , my major achievement is the successful alignment of the MEA
I started my career as a lecturer in IT and cybersecurity was a new hot topic in those days . region with Sophos ’ vision , which is to provide innovative , simple and effective security solutions that deliver complete end-toend cybersecurity capabilities in the MEA region .
My other major achievement is to lead the group ’ s pioneering synchronised security strategy , where the products share contextual information and thus enhance the protection available to its customers , in the region .
What first made you think of a career in cybersecurity ?
Cybersecurity was an eventual career decision . At different junctions of my career , it touched me . I started my career as a lecturer in IT and cybersecurity was a new hot topic in those days . Eventually I joined a startup which had a clear vision , capabilities and zeal to create a successful global product-based IT security company from India .
During my college days , ‘ Neural Networks ’ was my research project topic at the Physical Research Laboratory in India and , today , at Sophos we provide deep learningbased security solutions . Deep learning uses a neural network set up like the human brain to make decisions based on stored data and predictive reasoning . This is like a complete circle for me .
What style of management philosophy do you employ with your current position ?
I strongly believe that when you work with true leaders , you never need to give responsibilities to them . They take their own initiatives and lead on their own . Believing in this philosophy , I have always developed a culture within my team wherein each member is empowered enough to run his / her own show . However , we make sure that we are aligned to the company ’ s vision , goals and expectations from us .
Sophos is one of the leading global security players and when it comes to sales operations of such solutions , only leaders can personify such solutions . Hence , I emphasise a lot on constant training of my team so that we can match the high standards our products have set .
What do you think is the current hot cybersecurity talking point ?
The biggest cybersecurity threat facing businesses right now is the deluge of attacks and associated incident alert data , regardless of the www . intelligentciso . com | Issue 02
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