Security issues to be more crucial in IT sector

Juniper Networks managing director (India and SAARC) Dinesh Verma, tells The Independent

In an interview with The Independent, conducted during his visit to Bangladesh, Dinesh Verma, , managing director for India and SAARC, Juniper Networks, a giant on the global networking landscape, provided his insights into networking and digital security. Here is what he revealed on several crucial issues.

The Independent: Would you please tell us in a nutshell the purpose of your visit to Bangladesh?

Dinesh Verma: Our footprint has been in Bangladesh for many years. The purpose is to get personally acquainted with the marketplace. The team has been doing a fabulous job, though.

The Independent: Are you going to expand your footprint in Bangladesh?

Dinesh Verma: We are already here. Our customers have their full trust in us. That’s why I think it’s important to give them the personal touch more than before. We’re enabling our partners to expand so that they can fulfil the requirements of our customers. We’re leveraging our partners rather than entering directly.

The Independent: What’s the current focus of your business in Bangladesh?

Dinesh Verma: Look at the new technologies that are happening today—from cloud to security and also the access allowing you to connect to the internet. All these three technologies are consumed to a large extent by government bodies. As you know, we’re a networking company, and we also make softwares related to networking. We’re bringing in a paradigm shift in the way the cloud is being consumed today. We’re providing security solutions across campuses and enterprises of banks. We’re equipped to prevent malicious attacks.

The Independent: What’s the main customer base in Bangladesh?

Dinesh Verma: In terms of sectors, I think it’s the government and banks that are the biggest consumers of our technology. We work across the entire spectrum—it could be from the data centre, it could be from the cloud, it could be from the campus perspective and so on.

The Independent: IT security issues have been a major concern in Bangladesh for some time. The country experienced something untoward. What are the strategies from your end that would make us secured?

Dinesh Verma: I think you’ve touched the right chord. That has been the discussion or topic since I arrived here. First, security is not an afterthought. Not just in Bangladesh, but in many other parts of the world, security was taken as an afterthought. It has to be embedded right from the beginning. When you are creating a blueprint for technology migration, security has to be in-built. That’s what we’re trying to educate our customers. I agree with you that security has been a major issue all over the world. But it cannot be ensured by simply putting a few boxes here and there. Take the case of a few banks in India, which spent millions of dollars in terms of security. Yet, they are still unsafe. That’s the challenge we’re set to overcome.

How’re they going to secure their ATMs, their branches? How’re they going to secure their campuses, data centres? Because all the large banks don’t have a single data centre. They have multitudes of them, they have multiple applications of them. With the advent of the mobile banking system, how are they securing the process? Is it for the mobile operators to secure? Or is it for the banks or the government agencies? So, it’s a complex process.

The Independent: Where does Bangladesh stand in terms of IT security?

Dinesh Verma: I think they’ve invested a lot of money in terms of security. Which means that they don’t have to begin from scratch. It’s not totally insecure. But with the continuous shift in the technology, they have to adapt to the change. That’s because hackers are becoming smarter and so are people like us, who are ready to prevent it. So, it’s a continuous journey.

The Independent: Where’s the change you need to bring in?

Dinesh Verma: In every area—from the endpoint security to the data centre—and everywhere.

The Independent: What is your specific approach?

Dinesh Verma: What’s termed ‘Software Defined Secure Network’ (SDSN). It starts from the ingress to the data centre. Every port across the internet has to be secured. Every port of the router needs to be secured. Every application—whether virtual or whether it bears metal—has to be secured. Hence, security at every layer, including applications, has to be ensured. Are they individually secured? Or are you going to ensure group security? I’ll give you an analogy. Are you going to put a camera at the entrance? Or are you going to put a camera in every room? When you put the camera at the entrance of your house, you can perceive it to be secured. But you don’t know what’s running in the back.

The Independent: Could you please tell us more about SDSN?

Dinesh Verma: SDSN—Software Defined Secure Network—is provided with advanced threat protection techniques. It’s a framework that we’re set to go with. There’s a lot of building blocks. However, this is the framework we think needs to be followed. We’ve to make use of the resources the customers have already invested in. It’s a framework. It’s not Juniper alone in the offing.

The Independent: How long do you think it will take to be implemented in Bangladesh?

Dinesh Verma: We have done it in India. We are going to do in Bangladesh as well. Initial customers will take three to six months.

The independent: What is your view of the market in Bangladesh? To what extent are the people here digitally conscious?

Dinesh Verma: Well, the implementations have gone in a much mature way. It’s already there. So, we don’t need to begin from scratch. Digital banking is already there. The way it has been implemented is comparable to many advanced countries. The only thing is that people need to understand the advancement of digital technology. Whether they are divulging their details to an unauthorised user, for example. If that has been compromised, the blame would come on digital technology, when it’s actually a human error. This is true for any system. When you drive a car, if you are not in the right lane, obviously you are going to bang on somebody. Similarly, if you are using the technology properly, you will be liable for misusing it. As the technology landscape expands—4G or 5G are becoming a reality—security issues will become more crucial in the days to come.

The Independent: Thank you for giving us your insights into networking and digital security issues.

Dinesh Verma: Thank you.

Security issues to be more crucial in IT sector

Juniper Networks managing director (India and SAARC) Dinesh Verma, tells The Independent

In an interview with The Independent, conducted during his visit to Bangladesh, Dinesh Verma, , managing director for India and SAARC, Juniper Networks, a giant on the global networking landscape, provided his insights into networking and digital security. Here is what he revealed on several crucial issues. The Independent: Would you please tell us in a nutshell the purpose of your visit to Bangladesh? Dinesh Verma: Our footprint has been in Bangladesh for many years. The purpose is to get personally acquainted with the marketplace. The team has been doing a fabulous job, though. The Independent: Are you going to expand your footprint in Bangladesh? Dinesh Verma: We are already here. Our customers have their full trust in us. Thats why I think its important to give them the personal touch more than before. Were enabling our partners to expand so that they can fulfil the requirements of our customers. Were leveraging our partners rather than entering directly. The Independent: Whats the current focus of your business in Bangladesh? Dinesh Verma: Look at the new technologies that are happening todayfrom cloud to security and also the access allowing you to connect to the internet. All these three technologies are consumed to a large extent by government bodies. As you know, were a networking company, and we also make softwares related to networking. Were bringing in a paradigm shift in the way the cloud is being consumed today. Were providing security solutions across campuses and enterprises of banks. Were equipped to prevent malicious attacks. The Independent: Whats the main customer base in Bangladesh? Dinesh Verma: In terms of sectors, I think its the government and banks that are the biggest consumers of our technology. We work across the entire spectrumit could be from the data centre, it could be from the cloud, it could be from the campus perspective and so on. The Independent: IT security issues have been a major concern in Bangladesh for some time. The country experienced something untoward. What are the strategies from your end that would make us secured? Dinesh Verma: I think youve touched the right chord. That has been the discussion or topic since I arrived here. First, security is not an afterthought. Not just in Bangladesh, but in many other parts of the world, security was taken as an afterthought. It has to be embedded right from the beginning. When you are creating a blueprint for technology migration, security has to be in-built. Thats what were trying to educate our customers. I agree with you that security has been a major issue all over the world. But it cannot be ensured by simply putting a few boxes here and there. Take the case of a few banks in India, which spent millions of dollars in terms of security. Yet, they are still unsafe. Thats the challenge were set to overcome. Howre they going to secure their ATMs, their branches? Howre they going to secure their campuses, data centres? Because all the large banks dont have a single data centre. They have multitudes of them, they have multiple applications of them. With the advent of the mobile banking system, how are they securing the process? Is it for the mobile operators to secure? Or is it for the banks or the government agencies? So, its a complex process. The Independent: Where does Bangladesh stand in terms of IT security? Dinesh Verma: I think theyve invested a lot of money in terms of security. Which means that they dont have to begin from scratch. Its not totally insecure. But with the continuous shift in the technology, they have to adapt to the change. Thats because hackers are becoming smarter and so are people like us, who are ready to prevent it. So, its a continuous journey. The Independent: Wheres the change you need to bring in? Dinesh Verma: In every areafrom the endpoint security to the data centreand everywhere. The Independent: What is your specific approach? Dinesh Verma: Whats termed Software Defined Secure Network (SDSN). It starts from the ingress to the data centre. Every port across the internet has to be secured. Every port of the router needs to be secured. Every applicationwhether virtual or whether it bears metalhas to be secured. Hence, security at every layer, including applications, has to be ensured. Are they individually secured? Or are you going to ensure group security? Ill give you an analogy. Are you going to put a camera at the entrance? Or are you going to put a camera in every room? When you put the camera at the entrance of your house, you can perceive it to be secured. But you dont know whats running in the back. The Independent: Could you please tell us more about SDSN? Dinesh Verma: SDSNSoftware Defined Secure Networkis provided with advanced threat protection techniques. Its a framework that were set to go with. Theres a lot of building blocks. However, this is the framework we think needs to be followed. Weve to make use of the resources the customers have already invested in. Its a framework. Its not Juniper alone in the offing. The Independent: How long do you think it will take to be implemented in Bangladesh? Dinesh Verma: We have done it in India. We are going to do in Bangladesh as well. Initial customers will take three to six months. The independent: What is your view of the market in Bangladesh? To what extent are the people here digitally conscious? Dinesh Verma: Well, the implementations have gone in a much mature way. Its already there. So, we dont need to begin from scratch. Digital banking is already there. The way it has been implemented is comparable to many advanced countries. The only thing is that people need to understand the advancement of digital technology. Whether they are divulging their details to an unauthorised user, for example. If that has been compromised, the blame would come on digital technology, when its actually a human error. This is true for any system. When you drive a car, if you are not in the right lane, obviously you are going to bang on somebody. Similarly, if you are using the technology properly, you will be liable for misusing it. As the technology landscape expands4G or 5G are becoming a realitysecurity issues will become more crucial in the days to come. The Independent: Thank you for giving us your insights into networking and digital security issues. Dinesh Verma: Thank you.