By streamlining the detection, analysis, and response process, seamless security automation can help ensure faster remediation from vulnerabilities and threats.
Media 7: Hello Venu, thank you for your time. Could you share with us the factors that motivated you to pursue your current career path and describe your career trajectory?
Venu Rao: I have always been inclined towards technology and entrepreneurship. My entrepreneurial journey has been interesting and a roller-coaster ride. I started with an IT staffing business, then scaled up to offshore IT development, and eventually developed a GPS-based Vehicle Tracking system in 2008. Although we made decent penetration in the Indian market, the GPS VTA product couldn't grow as expected because it was ahead of its time. After a break and a few years of working as a Business Head at a tech company, I am back to entrepreneurship with WeSecureApp. Innovation in technology and problem-solving using cutting-edge technologies has always been my primary motivation.
M7: Please share with us some of the most rewarding experiences or accomplishments of your professional journey.
VR: I was fascinated by the James Bond car, and with a team we have built a technology that allowed tracking and monitoring of vehicles during a time when smartphones were not yet prevalent, 2G was limited to metros and Tier 1 cities, and there was no cloud technology available. With a simple SMS, one could switch off the car, operate the air conditioning, and set up geo-fencing, among other features. Although the product did not achieve success, I believe that the journey of developing and marketing a new technology has brought me immense satisfaction and valuable lessons.
M7: Can you tell us a bit about the history of Strobes Security and how the company was founded?
VR: Strobes Security was destiny for us. My co-founders are my cousins, and in 2015, when we met, all of us were in a transitional phase. I wanted to get back into entrepreneurship, Akhil, who is a hacker, was looking for a new path, and Srini, who had over 20 years of experience in the US market, was also in a similar situation. With our deep family history, we knew each other's strengths and working style in such detail that it was a no-brainer to team up and offer cybersecurity consulting services to enterprise customers.
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M7: What types of security services does Strobes Security offer, and how do they differ from other companies in the industry?
VR: We are known for being one of the best offensive security companies in the industry. The Strobes platform offers solutions for multiple use-cases, including Pentest as a Service (PTaaS), DevSecOps, and Vulnerability Management. Our customers trust us for the following reasons:
a.
Vulnerability Prioritization Technology: Our platform employs advanced technology to prioritize vulnerabilities, ensuring that our clients focus on the most critical issues first.
b. More than 75 connectors: We have over 75 connectors that integrate with various scanners, CI-CD, ITSM, and SIEM platforms, providing our clients with a seamless experience.
c. Scanner & tool agnostic platform: Our platform is not limited to specific scanners or tools, making it easier for clients to work with the tools they prefer.
d. Dashboards for visibility and cyber risk quantification: We provide our clients with dashboards that offer visibility into their security posture, allowing them to quantify their cyber risks.
e. Hybrid framework: We use a hybrid framework that combines both manual and automated testing to conduct offensive security assessments, ensuring that our clients receive accurate and reliable results.
M7: According to you, what are the best practices that a company dealing with vulnerability management should follow?
VR: a. Establish a formal vulnerability management program: The company should establish a formal vulnerability management program that includes policies, procedures, and guidelines for managing vulnerabilities.
b. Conduct regular vulnerability assessments: It should conduct regular vulnerability assessments of its systems and networks to identify potential vulnerabilities.
c. Prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk: It should prioritize vulnerabilities based on their severity and potential impact on the organization.
d. Develop a patch management plan: It should have a patch management plan that outlines the process for applying patches to systems and software.
e. Implement security controls: It should implement security controls to reduce the likelihood of vulnerabilities being exploited.
f. Monitor for new vulnerabilities: It should monitor for new vulnerabilities and incorporate them into its vulnerability management program.
g. Provide employee training: It should provide employee training on how to identify and report potential vulnerabilities.
h. Conduct incident response planning: It should have an incident response plan in place that includes procedures for responding to a security breach or vulnerability.
i. Conduct regular audits: It should conduct regular audits of its vulnerability management program to ensure that it is effective and up-to-date.
By following these best practices, companies can minimize the risk of security breaches and protect their systems and data from potential threats.
M7: Please explain how Strobes Security prioritizes customer satisfaction and ensures that clients receive high-quality service.
VR: a. Understand our customers' needs: One size does not fit all. Every customer is different and so are their requirements. We understand our customers’ requirements thoroughly and accordingly provide tailor-made solutions.
b. Empathize with our customers: We understand the challenges of being a CISO and someone responsible for the company's security posture. With a team of vCISOs and CISO Advisory Board, we empathize with our customers and genuinely share the inputs and suggestions to improve the security posture of their organization.
c. Extended team: We believe to be the extended security team rather than a vendor. With that approach, we ensure to provide amazing support in remediation and achieve their compliance goals
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Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence is an ongoing process, and organizations should continually monitor their systems and networks for new vulnerabilities and threats.
M7: How does seamless security automation ensure faster remediation from vulnerabilities and threats?
VR: a. Asset Discovery: Automated tools like Storbes ReconX can be used to do reconnaissance to find all the public and internal assets and trigger vulnerability scans automatically to find the vulnerabilities.
b. Prioritization: Strobes VI can also help prioritize vulnerabilities and threats based on their severity, exploitability and impact. This can help security teams focus on the most critical issues first and ensure that they are addressed promptly.
c. Quick Analysis: Automated tools can analyze security events and incidents quickly, reducing the time it takes to investigate and understand the scope of the problem.
d. Automated Response: Once a vulnerability or threat is identified and analyzed, automated tools can initiate a response automatically. This can include actions such as blocking network traffic, quarantining infected systems, or deploying security patches.
Overall, by streamlining the detection, analysis, and response process, seamless security automation can help ensure faster remediation from vulnerabilities and threats. This can help organizations better protect their assets, reduce downtime, and minimize the impact of security incidents.
M7: What are some of the key considerations organizations should keep in mind when implementing Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence? Please shed light.
VR: Implementing Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence is a critical process for any organization that wants to protect its assets from security threats. Here are some key considerations that organizations should keep in mind when implementing Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence:
a. Define the scope and objectives: It is important to define the scope and objectives of the Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence program. This includes identifying the systems, applications, and networks that need to be monitored, as well as the types of threats and vulnerabilities that the organization wants to be alerted to.
b. Determine the data sources: The quality of the data sources used in Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence is critical to the success of the program. Organizations should evaluate their existing sources of vulnerability data and identify additional sources that can provide relevant, timely, and accurate information.
c. Choose the right tools: There are a variety of tools available for Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence, ranging from vulnerability scanners to threat intelligence platforms. Organizations should evaluate their options and choose the tools that best fit their needs.
d. Establish a process for analyzing and prioritizing vulnerabilities: Once vulnerabilities are identified, it is important to have a process in place for analyzing and prioritizing them based on their severity, likelihood of exploitation, and potential impact.
e. Develop an action plan: Once vulnerabilities are identified and prioritized, organizations should develop an action plan for addressing them. This may include patching systems, reconfiguring networks, or implementing additional security controls.
f. Monitor and review: Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence is an ongoing process, and organizations should continually monitor their systems and networks for new vulnerabilities and threats. Regular reviews of the program can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the program remains effective over time.
g. Ensure compliance: Depending on the industry or regulatory requirements, organizations may need to ensure compliance with certain standards or regulations. Compliance requirements should be factored into the Advanced Vulnerability Intelligence program to ensure that the organization meets all necessary obligations.
M7: How does your organization implement a customer-centric approach?
VR: Implementing a customer-centric approach involves putting the needs and preferences of the customers at the forefront of the organization's strategy, decision-making, and operations. Here are the steps we take to implement a customer-centric approach:
a. Develop a customer-centric culture: A customer-centric culture involves building an organizational culture that places the customer at the center of everything that we do. This involves creating a shared vision, mission, and values that prioritize the customer experience.
b. Understand customer needs: We understand the needs, wants, and preferences of our customers.
c. Empower employees: We empower our employees to make decisions that benefit the customer. This includes providing training, tools, and resources to help employees deliver exceptional customer service.
d. Deliver a personalized experience: Customers today expect a personalized experience. We tailor our products, services, and interactions to meet the unique needs and preferences of each customer.
e. Continuously improve: Our approach involves continuously gathering feedback from customers and using it to improve the organization's products, services, and processes. This requires a culture of continuous improvement and a willingness to embrace change.
f. Measure success: Finally, we measure our success based on customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention. This involves tracking key metrics, such as Net Promoter Score and Customer Lifetime Value.
M7: What are the future plans or goals of Strobes Security and how do you see the company evolving in the coming years?
VR: With the current modules and upcoming features that will be rolled out in the coming weeks, we are moving towards building a next-generation offensive security platform. Our goal is to leverage the best of both worlds to protect our customers through the combination of security automation and security experts.
Over the next few years, we plan to establish a strong partner ecosystem globally, which will enable us to grow exponentially. Additionally, we will continue to innovate our product offerings while maintaining focus on building a positive culture within our organization.