Being the fastest growing economy in the world with Government Initiatives, growing digital empowerment, and enterprise appetite for new technologies; Aruba President Keerti Melkote talks about the bright business prospects in the country, effects EUGDPR, Challenges and the right approach for CIOs in the changing market scenario.
LAN market in India is expected to grow very fast given the staggering number of SMEs rapidly growing and large enterprises expanding operations across geographies, what is your perception of India market? Which market segment does Aruba pin its hopes to from growth perspective?
India is a great market opportunity for enterprises worldwide. The growth potential offered by the market is huge, and enterprises have shown a huge appetite for implementation of new technologies. Being the fastest growing economy in the world, and with government initiatives like Smart Cities campaign, Digital India and Bharat Net, the citizens are being empowered to go digital, and that provides bright prospects for enterprises. We have been working closely with the education, healthcare, hospitality, retail and the IoT sector, and we are looking forward to growing further in these segments.
What is your strategy for India? Could you share some target growth figures?
India has always been a very important part of Aruba. While India currently contributes a relatively small portion to our global business in terms of sales, it forms a large portion of our global R&D team. However, the businesses in India have been quick to adopt and implement newer technology, and that makes India a huge growth opportunity for us. We are looking at growing in various sectors like hospitality, education, retail, and healthcare in India, and we are working closely with various Governments and Governmental agencies on national projects. We have seen double digit growth in India, and we are looking forward to grow at the same pace.
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“Major challenges faced by CIOs from a network and security perspective are centered on the ability to draw insights about the network and its health and to maintain continuous uptime which is a necessity in today’s world.”
Keerti Melkote
President and Founder
Aruba, a HPE company
[/quote]
Security concerns and challenges are always associated with any growing nation and India is no exception. What role can companies like Aruba Networks play in safeguarding the industries?
Cybersecurity is a vital issue today. Companies are steadily increasing their digital footprint, and consequently, the landscape on which they can face cyberattacks is increasing. Today, attacks have grown in sophistication and size, and companies have to implement a robust security infrastructure. In the past, the focus has been on ‘Front-door security’, wherein companies deployed firewalls and intrusion detection systems to detect foul play and intrusion. However, with the increase in insider threats, companies will have to adopt an inside-out approach. Aruba’s focus on security which includes securing the users’ connection with the network from multifarious threat vectors can protect the organization and its sensitive data. Aruba’s comprehensive Access Control Policies, coupled with Aruba’s IntroSpect User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), which uses AI-based machine learning to detect changes in user behavior to enable early detection of attacks, can help companies keep their data and network safe.
What according to you are the major CIO challenges from a network and security point of view?
The major challenges faced by CIOs today from a network and security perspective are centered on the ability to draw insights about the network and its health and to maintain continuous uptime which is a necessity in today’s world. Maintenance of the network by implementing speedy detection, identification, and solution of problems affecting the network, the implementation of automated solutions to ensure uptime, and the ability to have a comprehensive understanding about user behavior and pattern to analyze and help in early detections of threats, are some of the common challenges for and requirements by CIOs.
How is Aruba a better bet for the CIOs while mitigating those challenges?
Aruba was founded with the vision of enabling mobility for enterprises of all sizes and across verticals. This comprises of the ability to have highly elastic, stable, and secure networks, and we have been helping enterprises establish this. We recently introduced NetInsight, an AI based analytics and assurance solution for optimizing network performance. NetInsight uses machine learning to continuously monitor the network, deliver insights in the event of anomalies, and then recommends how best to optimize the network for today’s mobile-first employees and workplace-critical IoT devices. From a security point of view, Aruba’s IntroSpect User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) uses AI-based machine learning to spot changes in user behavior that often indicate inside attacks that have evaded perimeter defenses. IntroSpect allows enterprises to monitor the network and assign risk profiles by using extensive fraud detection techniques. The usage analysis acts as indicators of potential risks of certain users, allowing for better hygiene of the network, and early detection of potential attacks. This coupled with Aruba’s offerings like ClearPass, allow for comprehensive maintenance of the network, and help equip the CIOs with the right tools to provide secure and stable connectivity.
What sort of investments are you making in India in the coming years to reach out to various markets from both – vertical and geography point of view?
We have been operating in the Indian market for over 10 years. Most of our business in India mirrors our global business and is enterprise centric. We work closely with enterprises, universities, hotels, schools, hospitals and we are also working with Governments and Governmental agencies in India. Our biggest market is the SMB segment and we consistently on-board about 30 – 40 new customers each quarter from this segment. This is primarily buoyed by the requirement to provide Wi-Fi connectivity across segments, as employees now expect wireless connectivity for all their devices. Additionally, we are investing resources in educating the users and markets. We are driving courses around our technology, delivering certifications and helping in knowledge building at various levels like our customers, our partners etc. We are also building Aruba Centers of Excellence at large educational institutions to educate new audiences. Aruba’s biggest component is its software which is built at our development centers in India. The surge of IoT is also a huge opportunity for us and we are committed to provide the wireless security and stability required for its adoption.
As a company that is involved in protecting data and ensuring its safety and privacy, what are your views on the GDPR coming into effect in May 2018?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation by which the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission intend to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union. GDPR is a significant regulation and it will fundamentally change the way we build technology. Data protection is paramount and this regulation will enable higher amounts of data privacy. The implementation of GDPR will force businesses to take a step back and look at how we ensure privacy in the longer run, which affects both companies and its customers. Before it comes into effect in May, it is imperative that we understand the effects of this regulation – we need to understand how a product is designed and its implications before it even goes down to the market. Looking at it from an ethical and a regulatory standpoint, it is the appropriate way to move forward.
