Punit Minocha, EVP of Business Development and Corporate Strategy, Zscaler chats about cloud transformation challenges, adoption of zero trust risks in mobile security, and the future of AI in Cybersecurity in this CIO Interview:
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Hello Punit, take us through your journey in cybersecurity and business development, and how you’ve driven strategic partnerships and innovation at Zscaler.
My cybersecurity journey is built on a strong foundation in the technology industry and a passion for innovation. Over the years, I’ve focused on leveraging my expertise in the business of technology to drive strategic partnerships and foster innovation at Zscaler. By collaborating with industry leaders and aligning our goals, we have successfully developed solutions that address the evolving security landscape, ensuring our customers can securely and successfully leverage the cloud.
Comprehensive security requires multiple products and technologies. Anyone that tells you they can solve all of your problems is lying. With that said, IT Administrators can find themselves deploying numerous security products, many of which don’t integrate with each other, which complicates their jobs and can leave gaps they may not even be aware of. Our approach has been to look for partners that complement our technology that we can integrate with to drive innovation and simplify security for customers. We are selective about who we choose to partner with and all of our integrations are customer-driven. It is not about amassing as many logos as possible for our website. Our overarching goal is to help customers reduce risk, eliminate cost and complexity, and increase their agility, so we view partnerships through this lens.
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What are the biggest hurdles enterprises face in cloud transformation, and how does Zscaler tackle these?
Enterprises can face several hurdles in cloud transformation, including data security concerns, compliance issues and the complexities of managing multi-cloud environments. Zscaler addresses these challenges by providing a comprehensive security framework that enables organizations to adopt cloud technologies without compromising security. Our Zero Trust architecture simplifies security, ensuring that users and devices are authenticated and authorized before they can access applications, effectively mitigating risks associated with the complexity of cloud adoption.
In January, we announced Zscaler Zero Trust SASE, an industry first, single-vendor SASE solution built utilizing Zscaler Zero Trust AI to help organizations reduce cost and complexity while implementing Zero Trust security across users, devices, and workloads.
How do you see the adoption of Zero Trust evolving in the next five years?
I believe the adoption of Zero Trust will continue to accelerate over the next five years and beyond as the threat landscape becomes increasingly dangerous and organizations recognize the need for a more robust security posture. With increasing cyber threats and the shift to remote work, Zero Trust will become the standard for securing access to sensitive data and applications. As more enterprises transition to this model, we will see greater integration of Zero Trust principles across various sectors.
The shift to remote and hybrid working models also means cloud services and mobile devices will continue to become increasingly prevalent. Zero Trust helps organizations adapt to these dynamic environments while safeguarding data through segmentation and encryption. Remote workers are kept safe when accessing sensitive data and insider threats can be mitigated with role-based access, enhanced network visibility, and simplified policy management. As organizations move away from insecure VPNs and ineffective firewall-style solutions, Zero Trust will become the industry standard in an ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.
What are the major risks in mobile security today, and what solutions Zscaler offers to address them?
Mobile security today faces significant risks, including malware, phishing attacks and insecure app vulnerabilities–none of which are dissimilar from other risks to enterprise networks. These types of threats come from everywhere (threat actors, nation states, etc.) through different attack vectors (mobile, IoT, OT), but they all point toward the same need for Zero Trust security. Zscaler offers solutions like mobile threat defense and secure access to protect users and devices from these threats.
Mobile security has become more important now that applications are everywhere, and users are mobile. Legacy VPN solutions are complex, expensive, and can cause latency issues that frustrate users and leave networks open to the thread of lateral movement from hackers. The Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange provides a superior security solution for mobile users by connecting them directly to applications, not the network. Our Zero Trust solution not only enhances security by preventing the threat of lateral movement since users aren’t connected to the network, but it also increases performance and provides a better user experience.
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Share your thoughts on how you see the future opportunities for AI in cybersecurity.
- AI presents numerous opportunities in cybersecurity – particularly in threat detection and response. By leveraging machine learning and behavioral analytics, Zscaler can identify anomalies in real-time, enable faster incident response and reduce workloads across security teams.
- Zscaler is built for this new AI era because we infused initial AI/ML into our cloud-native platform from the start. Our platform monitors over half a trillion daily transactions- as we just announced – more than any other cloud platform available. That’s an enormous amount of data and if AI is only as good as the underlying data that is powering it, we have an extremely smart AI platform.
- However, it is not a silver bullet, and GenAI is also a complicating factor. To mitigate the threats GenAI apps pose, organizations must prioritize implementing top tier security measures, including protecting training data, rigorous testing and advanced detection methods for hidden behavior.
What, according to you, are the best steps organizations must take to bridge the cybersecurity talent gap?
Bridging the cybersecurity talent gap requires organizations to invest in training and development programs that empower current employees. Emphasizing diversity in hiring practices can also bring fresh perspectives into the field. Additionally, leveraging automation can alleviate some of the stress on cybersecurity professionals, enabling them to focus on more strategic tasks rather than repetitive ones and giving time back to focus on the things they love to do.
Before we wrap up, talk about the IT and security trends that you are most excited about in the coming years.
I’m excited about the trends in cloud security and the evolution of edge computing. As organizations increasingly adopt cloud services and IoT devices, the need for integrated security solutions will continue to grow. The recent advancements in AI will also play a crucial role in shaping the future of cybersecurity, allowing for more proactive threat detection and response capabilities.
We recently announced a new set of AI and Zero Trust integrations with the CrowdStrike Falcon cybersecurity platform to advance security operations. These integrations with the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange Platform, Zscaler Data Fabric for Security, and CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM modernize security operations to provide advanced threat detection, response, and risk management while leveraging the power of AI.
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Punit Minocha is an established security executive with a history of nurturing key partnerships to develop robust technology ecosystems at industry-leading organizations, including Palo Alto Networks and Trend Micro.
As Vice President of Business Development and Mobile Solutions at Zscaler, Minocha is responsible for the strategic direction and execution of business development initiatives, including technology partnerships, strategic alliances, and SI relationships; as well as its mobile security strategy, ecosystem, and go-to-market. Minocha earned his MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, his MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin, and his BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire.
Zscaler enables the world’s leading organizations to securely transform their networks and applications for a mobile and cloud first world. Its flagship services, Zscaler Internet Access and Zscaler Private Access, create fast, secure connections between users and applications, regardless of device, location, or network. Zscaler services are 100% cloud-delivered and offer the simplicity, enhanced security, and improved user experience that traditional appliances or hybrid solutions are unable to match. Used in more than 185 countries, Zscaler operates the world’s largest cloud security platform, protecting thousands of enterprises and government agencies from cyberattacks and data loss.
