CEO Insights Magazine

with the rise in the number of cyber crimes, cyber security is the need of the hour. Set up with the mission to secure and empower productivity in a privacy-focused world, where work and play can happen anywhere, Lookout is a leading provider of Integrated Endpoint-to-Cloud Security. Led by Surojit Dasgupta in India, the firm is establishing marketing strategies to make Lookout stand out from its competitors.

The cloud, SaaS, mobile workforces and an unstoppable wave of BYOD have created a heightened level of complexity when it comes to keeping track of the ebb and flow of data. CISOs and security leaders are challenged every day to control and manage their organization’s sensitive data while at the same time meeting their workforce’s demand for more agility and flexibility. A data-centric cloud security strategy is designed to put the safeguards in place that fully protect an organization’s data–wherever it flows, however it flows, across networks, clouds, applications, users and devices but does not limit an organization’s freedom to grow and thrive”, says Surojit.

Surojit holds a huge experience working as a Go-To-Market specialist and had worked in various leading companies like Honeywell, FireEye, McAfee, Crowdstrike, Forescout and many more. As the country manager for Lookout, he will be spear heading the Sales and Marketing domain.

Surojit recently engaged in an interactive session with CEO Insights magazine, here’s the highlight from the same.

Tell us more about your professional background. What inspired you to venture into the computer and network security segment and what drives you today?
I've always had a fascination with computers and technology, and have been fortunate enough to engage with prominent technology firms such as Microsoft, Oracle, Symantec, McAfee, IBM, and Adobe since my first employment. Over the years I have had the honour of working with many reputed firms like Honeywell, FireEye (now Trellix), Crowdstrike, Forescout, and now Lookout over the years.

What motivates me till date is the desire to defend enterprises from cyber-attacks and it's a 24/7/365 battleground where an attacker only needs a little opening to get access to an organization, while defenders like us must always assure there is none.

Tell us about the unique position of Lookout in the market. What are the unique propositions that your firm offers to its clients?
Lookout acquired CipherCloud in March 2021, and in less than a year, experienced hyper growth as we successfully evolved our platform offerings from being the leader in Mobile Threat Defense to a Security Service Edge (SSE) company fully recognized by leading analyst firms (Gartner, IDC, Forrester), and by the U.S. Federal Government through its coveted FedRAMP certification.

The Lookout Security Platform, our Security Service Edge solution, safeguards your data with security that goes every where your organization’s data goes whether it’s

in a data center, public cloud or downloaded to an endpoint you don’t manage. The platform was recognized by a leading analyst firm as Visionary in a recent SSE industry report.

By integrating our Mobile Threat Defense solution with SSE technologies, including Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Zero Trust Network Access(ZTNA) and Secure Web Gateway(SWG), the Lookout platform enables organizations to make smart access decisions that mitigate threats, and protect sensitive data while enabling employees to access what they need.

Unlike other SSE vendors, Lookout has built-in access control technologies and the ability to continuously assess telemetry from endpoints and secure infrastructure. This means customers no longer need to purchase separate access or security tools. With an integrated solution that includes mobile endpoint security, cloud access security broker (CASB), secure web gateway (SWG) and Zero Trust network access (ZTNA), organizations can streamline security operations, lower costs and eliminate security gaps.

Additionally, the Lookout Threat Advisory service provides cutting-edge mobile threat intelligence from Lookout’s global sensor network of millions of mobile devices and insights from Lookout’s top mobile security researchers. Customers get access to monthly threat reports and analyst inquiry calls, quarterly webcasts, and also get early access to novel Lookout threat research. The Lookout Threat Intelligence team discovered dozens of mobile threats in 2021 alone (including BitScam, CloudScam, AbstractEmu, Anubis, Hornbill, Sunbird and Goontact).

What is the technology that you use in your services, and what are your plans to revolutionize them? What are the opportunities you foresee in your field?
Having telemetry of endpoints, users, apps and data means organizations have unprecedented visibility to detect anomalies and prevent breaches. With built-in assessment and access control capabilities, Lookout can dynamically enforce corporate policy on a granular level. For example, an organization can choose to deny download privileges and redact certain information when a user uses a device and network it does not control. The platform also enables organizations to proactivelyhunt for threats and investigate advanced cyber attacks.

The need for an integrated end point-to-cloud security solution has been accelerated by the proliferation of remote users, the adoption of cloud applications, data transitioning out of the corporate data center into the cloud, and more network traffic flowing to public cloud services. Between 2019 and 2020, Lookout observed a 265 percent increase in mobile phishing threats and a 423 percent increase in mobile app vulnerabilities.

To tackle the security challenges posed by these unstoppable trends, businesses need a unified platform that can track activity and enforce policies across the entire data path from the endpoint device to cloud-based applications. With the signals and control points needed to stop zero-day attacks scattered across

the entire end-to-end path only a fully integrated solution can close the gaps created by multiple point products sourced from separate security vendors.

How do you maintain your personal and professional life? What is your success mantra?
I try to spend quality time with my family by travelling on long weekends and annual vacations. I never turn off my phone and, regardless of where I was at the time, I have always tried to be available for any escalations from our customersor partners.

Going forward, what are the changes in market behaviour that you anticipate and what are the opportunities that you foresee?
We are focused on helping our customers transform their business as employees expect to work from anywhere. Software-as-a-service(SaaS)applications have enabled people to stay productive from anywhere, but have also amplified security gaps. We expect that these challenges, whether they are related to data security or software vulnerabilities, will continue to intensify. At the same time, security technologies will converge in the cloud to deliver threat hunting and data protection as integrated solutions to combat these evolving threats.

To reduce risk and secure your data, you need to transform existing perimeter security and network capabilities into software defined, cloud-delivered solutions. They also need to be tightly integrated to allow for intelligent and flexible access control decisions that provide operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Lookout will continue to invest in cloud-delivered security that enables organizations to complete their digital transformation. This is critical for the work from any where economy where consistent security must be applied to all managed and unmanaged devices accessing cloud and enterprise apps. With existing product development centres in Bangalore and Hyderabad, we’ve made a long term commitment with our employees, customers and partners in this subcontinent,and look forward to helping even more organizations secure their most sensitive data.

What advice you would like to give to young professionals who are aspiring to join the industry?
While financial considerations and the company's brand name are important, you should not be overly concerned with these issues early in your career. Find a place where you may gain the greatest experience in your chosen industry. As young professionals always search for a good mentor at this stage of their lives and learn more.

Surojit Dasgupta, Country Manager, India & Saarc Region,Lookout Inc.
Quick Facts:
Hobbies:I love travelling and exploring new places
Favourite Cuisine:The famous Kolkata Mutton Biryani
Favourite Book:Good to Great
Favourite Travel destinations:
The United States

Awards and Recognition:Asia Pacific Japan Sales Person of the year for the year 2016 in FireEye(now Trellix).
.Presidents Club Winner Hawaii, US 2017 in FireEye(now Trellix)
.Worldwide Channel Manager for the Year 2019 in Forescout Technologies.
.President’s Club Winner Punta Mita, Mexico 2020 in Forescout Technologies.
.President’s Club Winner Punta Mita, Mexico 2021 in Forescout Technologies