Jaydeep Ruparelia is the Co-founder and Director of Security Strategy at India/Ahmedabad-based Infopercept Consulting Pvt. Ltd., a leading Managed Security Services provider with footprints across India, Middle East, Africa, and the US. Jaydeep has an experience of more than 15 years in the cybersecurity and strategy domain. As the Co-founder of Infopercept, he is involved in driving the firm’s operational strategy, and developing and nurturing business relationships across the globe.
It has been nearly nine months since the Coronavirus pandemic struck out of the blue. Remote working or work from home as it is commonly described has become the new normal. Since we are still months away from a vaccine, work from home will continue to be the case for the foreseeable future. A lot has been said and written about how this has given rise to new challenges for companies. Cybersecurity is one of the very major challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has given birth to, and ensuring the safety and security of digital assets has emerged as one of the biggest, if not the biggest, priorities of companies in the last few months.
With digitization on the rise and work from home expected to continue for a large majority of the companies, they need to prepare checklists about the routine tasks assigned to respective departments as well as functions within companies. Prioritizing security strategy depends on how well the leaders can define the criticality of the cybersecurity signals and threat intelligence and collate it into a business context that can be customized to enterprises. Moreover, there is also a strong scientific logic behind having checklists and prioritizing, as it helps us concentrate on the core tasks that require our attention to achieve the daily plans.
When it comes to cybersecurity, the most important checklist is to be in a position to be able to foresee any existing or looming threat. Cyber-attacks are growing steadily in number, strength, and variety. In parallel, even the most sophisticated adversaries are using surprisingly unsophisticated means to wreak damage. In many of the cyber-attacks, cybercriminals have been successfully able to mimic legitimate user actions and avoid being spotted on the radar of protective measures.
Many organizations are starting to realize that a proactive cybersecurity strategy is one of the best defences. Organizations should see where the threats are coming from, how they can move within their network, find out where the vulnerabilities in their defences are, and close them before cyber attackers can take advantage.
To give a corollary, in a Formula 1 car race, each participant is trying to zip through the race track in his bid for the checkered flag. A winning game plan or strategy is a must to perform well on the race track, and car companies spend heavily to chart these plans. When it comes to the actual race, failure to keep a close eye on the racer trailing him can lead to the leader being left behind or worse going out of the race. The trailing racer also has the advantage in the sense that he can easily observe how the leader is manoeuvring his car, and look for any weaknesses or misstep that he can exploit to get ahead.
In the same way, companies need to be prepared with their cybersecurity strategies and always be on the lookout for cyber adversaries. During a cybersecurity incident, acting quickly is critical. It can be the difference between surviving and perishing. Also bear in mind that unlike Formula 1 car race, where the drivers and teams are bound by the same set of rules, no such regulations apply to cyber adversaries. Their sole aim is to inflict the maximum damage possible on the target company. Having a shield to protect the business from the growing number of cyber adversaries is not just recommended, but is a must.
Our Observe, Orient, Decide & Act loop is designed to help people make decisions and take action rather than freezing up and doing nothing. This process can be invaluable to an information security practitioner and has numerous applications, both offensive and defensive.
As a cybersecurity company, we are seeing highly potent and multiple attacks being launched against target companies. We believe in not just negating the attacks, but counter-attacking the cyber adversaries with a unique combination of services, solutions and strategies wrapped in a perfect sense of cybersecurity. With our new product Invinsense, we have taken cybersecurity to the next leg of the warfare where we create traps, and once the cyber adversaries have walked into it, we strike them.
More About Jaydeep Ruparelia
Jaydeep is blessed with strong entrepreneurial skills and instincts, and a unique ability to build world-class teams, particularly in multi-cultural and geographically diverse environments. He has worked with some of the smartest and rocking characters to build teams and companies in India and other countries.
He specializes in establishing cybersecurity vision, conceptualizing cybersecurity products and services, and guiding and inspiring people to achieve the best results. He has been instrumental in setting up and managing the Security Optimization Centre (SOC), Technology Optimization Centre (TOC) and Compliance Optimization Centre (COC) for customers and Original Equipment Manufacturers.
Jaydeep has been the driving force of the world’s first non-real-time cybersecurity strategy product ‘Gameplan’. He has also designed a unique package to fight cyber battles with Moving Target Defence and Deception.
Over the last decade-and-a-half, Jaydeep has covered India and more than 30+ markets internationally. Prior to co-founding Infopercept, he worked with Allied Digital Services, Miel e-Security, Elitecore Technologies, Indusface and Crystal Solutions in roles ranging from Network Security Engineer to Chief Technology Officer. Jaydeep was instrumental in introducing and implementing best industry practices in cybersecurity in his varied roles.