TK is a leader in technical innovation, specializing in the identification and protection of intellectual properties. With a background in game development and information security, he balances design’s social and technical aspects. Known for his ability to acquire top talent and build high-performing teams at DNSFilter.
Hello, TK Keanini! Welcome to the CIO Influence Interview Series. Please share how your extensive experience in IT architecture and passion for information security have influenced your approach as CTO at DNSFilter.
I’ve created a reputation for myself of being incredibly passionate about my work. Something I learned early on in my career is that if you do right by the customer, they’ll do right by you. And the product we create, after all, is for the customer. Putting customers and partners at the center of every decision and performance measurement has never failed me as a guiding principle. It is also easy to get burned out with all the work you have to put in, and that is where passion comes into play. I truly love what I do and I love working with folks who share that same passion.
Also read: How Security Leaders Can Embrace a Long-Term Approach to Managing External Pressures
What top challenges do enterprises face in threat protection and content filtering today, and what innovative processes and solutions does your team implement to address these issues?
The saying “Think globally, act locally” sums up the dominant strategy for threat protection and content filtering. The customers we protect need us to “think globally.” Using machine learning, we are able to scale to a global internet perspective on exactly what needs to be filtered locally, so our customers can safely go about their business. We are currently blocking an average of 12 million threats daily world-wide, this includes regional and national threats—our customers don’t have to consider these factors and can focus their attention elsewhere.
According to a recent Forbes report, the year 2023 saw a notable increase in cyberattacks, resulting in more than 343 million victims. How can AI and machine learning enhance real-time threat detection and prevention? Can you highlight more on some top tools in this space that can help?
I think that it is really important to note that those 343 million victims are not experts at security nor should they be, yet they are being attacked by expert threat actors. What I am highlighting is that for solutions to be effective for this majority, it must be affordable to acquire, affordable to operate, and affordable to maintain. DNSFilter gets this on all counts but other security companies are still building tools for experts to own and operate.
Why does DNSFilter use machine learning? Because at DNSFilter, we are reducing a machine-scale problem down to a human-scale understanding so that we offer a solution for all that need protection at an affordable price.
Please share your insights on the current trends in cybersecurity that businesses should be aware of and how DNSFilter is positioned to enable end users to adapt to these trends.
Phishing attacks and social engineering threats have never been bigger, and we are living in a world where everyone is a target. While I firmly believe that multiple defensive solutions are required to keep people safe on the Internet, DNSFilter is positioned to have the first shot at this protection for you. Before any network connection is made by a human or a machine, DNSFilter has the opportunity to protect based on both organizational policy as well as global threat intelligence. I like being that first line of defense and I take that position seriously.
Also Read: Why Healthcare Firms are in the Middle of a Cyberwarfare
As a CTO, how do you balance fostering innovation with maintaining robust cybersecurity measures to ensure both technological advancements and data protection?
That is my job! Without meaning to sound cliche, it truly is a team sport. First and foremost, I consider my coworkers creatives and problem solvers, not just task masters. It just so happens that we are experienced in the craft of cybersecurity, so every design and decision made considers the threat actors’ perspective. You could say that we not only design with the customer at the table, but we also design with the threat actors at the table. Bringing those multiple perspectives together is what keeps us balanced.
Lastly, what advice would you give to upcoming tech leaders who aspire to make a significant impact in the cybersecurity field?
Know your customers and equally know the threat actors that prey on them. I’m not just talking about asking them a few questions via a survey; you need to understand their mental models and how they make sense of the world. You need to understand their price points and understand how much administrative costs they can take on. It is not an easy answer and it is hard. That’s what I said in the beginning: That if you do not love what you are doing in this cybersecurity field, you may consider doing something else.
Also Read: How Security Leaders Can Embrace a Long-Term Approach to Managing External Pressures
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TK Keanini is the Chief Technology Officer at DNSFilter, a provider of protective DNS. TK is an executive with a reputation for driving technical innovation. He is skilled at the identification and protection of intellectual properties, and has the leadership qualities required to acquire talent and assemble productive teams. His blend of talents are unique as he incorporates game development with his passion for information security accounting for both the social and technical aspects of a design.
DNSFilter is redefining how organizations secure their largest threat vector: the Internet itself. DNSFilter is making the internet safer and workplaces more productive, by actively blocking an average of 9M threat queries every single day. With 70% of attacks using Domain Name System (DNS), DNSFilter provides the world’s fastest protective DNS powered by machine learning that uniquely identifies 61% more threats than competitors on an average of ten days earlier, including zero-day attacks.
Over 35 million monthly users trust DNSFilter to protect them from phishing, malware, and advanced cyber threats. DNSFilter’s brands include Webshrinker, its next generation web categorization software, and Guardian, a consumer app focused on privacy protection.
