Rohan Gaikwad stands at the forefront of the fastest moving technology industry trend of Cyber Security & Forensics. In an interaction with CISO Connect, Rohan Gaikwad, Head of Sales & Business Development – India, SAARC & APAC (Cyber-Security Firm) presents his vision to improve girls’ literacy rates in India by providing the necessary infrastructure. He is of firm belief that educating girls will not only stand them in good stead but also benefit their family members.
Q. Tell us about your career journey till now.
I hold a Marketing MBA and bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering. I am a former Management Consulting professional with one of the Tier 1 consulting firm and have 8+ combined years of experience in the Cybersecurity & technology arenas. Apart from the professional career, I am a social activist with a vision of empowering underprivileged students across India. I have already sponsored many students and have been rewarded by the Government, Ministry, and Municipal Authorities for the same.
I have a vision of improving girls’ literacy rates in India by providing the necessary infrastructure. I am of firm belief that educating girls will not only stand them in good stead but also benefit their family members.
Q. How has been your journey so far?
Throughout my 8-year tenure in Cybersecurity & Technology domain, I have developed business strategies, incubating new business models, and building out channel programs. I have championed Identity Access Management services to my enterprise and consumer customers; my strategic relationship model has motivated 500 partners globally including Tier 1 partners like IBM, Wipro, TCS, TechM, Accenture, TATA Communications, DXC Technologies, and Big 4s.
Q. What is one thing that made you stay in the cybersecurity domain?
You don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to understand that this is a growth area. Cybersecurity has become critical to the fabric of any modern business. As breach after breach hits the headlines, it’s clear to everyone that organizations need more professionals focused on cybersecurity.
Q. What do you think is the future of cybersecurity?
Right now, we’ve seen plenty of improvement in terms of security being incorporated into traditional product offerings. Especially for the last five years, the combination of providing security as a part of a standard package has extremely modified the landscape. If you look at cloud suppliers, like Microsoft or Google, they need extremely baked in a ton of security at a very high level that was historically, solely obtainable from third-party solutions. It means that there’ll be several things that will be machine-controlled.
With that, though, it has become very tough for CISOs, organizations, and consumers to know all the different spots that they have security, and to have it all converge together in non-disparate vantage points. So, in the near future, I think we’re going to continue to see trends towards consolidation – to try to make information obtainable in consumable metrics that don’t force you to dig as deep into the weeds to understand your risk.
Q. What motivates you as a social entrepreneur?
My vision is to empower the underprivileged, most disadvantaged, victimized, and marginalized children especially girls across India by unique educational interventions primarily to include support for infrastructure such as classrooms, providing learning aids, promoting socially meaningful curriculum development, and child-centered joyful learning techniques.
Also to boost the confidence of thousands of students who come from various remote locations to cities for their higher education/job. Help them to deal inferiority complex issue due to barrier of language/accent & conduct various programs to help them gain confidence & achieve their goals.
Q. How can technology be of help to the success of a particular nation?
Trade and technology present an opportunity when they are able to leverage existing capabilities, and thereby provide a more direct and reliable path to development. When they demand complementary and costly investments, they are no longer a shortcut around traditional manufacturing-led development.
New technologies reduce the prices of goods and services to which they are applied. They also lead to the creation of new products. Consumers benefit from these improvements, regardless of whether they live in rich or poor countries.
Q. How do you think an individual can help in the development of a nation (basically, how can individuals play their part in or contribute towards nation’s development: a piece of advice or tip).
I think everyone has the duty to carry out his or her civic responsibilities. They should be law-abiding to help in strengthening institutional growth. If a nation has strong institutions rather than just a strong few individuals, there will be a boost to its path to growth and development. Also, we must be ready to put in the very best in our chosen careers not just for the gains alone but mostly for what we can offer our society and humanity through our actions and commitments.
Q. What are some things you would want to do in order to bring out the change and create a better tomorrow?
Imparting quality education to most disadvantaged, victimized, and marginalized children especially girls by unique educational interventions primarily to include support for infrastructure such as classrooms, providing learning aids, promoting socially meaningful curriculum development, and child-centered joyful learning techniques.
Also to boost the confidence of thousands of students who come from various remote location to cities for their higher education/Job. Help them to deal inferiority complex issue due to barrier of language/accent & conduct various programs to help them gain confidence & achieve their goals
Q. A message you would want to give out to the people residing in backward areas?
I quote Martin Luther King who said: We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope. Education is the only way to uplift society & nation.