Futurex has pioneered cloud as the future for encryption

 informs Michael Krutikov, VP of Global Marketing, Futurex in an exclusive conversation with Rajneesh De, Consulting Editor, APAC News Network

What are the key challenges and opportunities in marketing cybersecurity solutions on a global scale?

Every industry around the world needs data security. The potential market for cybersecurity solutions is huge, so you have to listen carefully to the people working in each market vertical. For example, a security architect at a major payment processor will focus on different things than, say, the CTO ofan auto manufacturer. These things also tend to vary by region: India’s burgeoning fintech space will have different compliance requirements from that of, say, the United States.

What cybersecurity products and services does Futurex offer in South Asia? Please  share some insights into the target audience for your cybersecurity products and services? 

Futurex’s solution suite comprises HSM cryptography (both payments and general-purpose), key management, PKI and CA, cryptographic infrastructure management, and cloud cryptography services. In short, if it’s cryptography, we provide it.

India is well known as a global hub for payment processing and fintechs. In the Indian market, we’ve noticed a corresponding demand for cloud payment HSM solutions. Organizations in India’s fast-moving payments sector need HSMs to encrypt data, manage payment keys, and perform other essential cryptographic tasks. Many organizations are investing in cloud-based HSM solutions. The cloud offers enterprise-grade, hardware-backed cryptography with low capital expenditures and simple deployment. Lots of organizations are figuring out how to leverage these advantages to streamline their data security architecture and get to market faster.

How is the Indian cybersecurity market different from the rest of the world, especially USA and European countries?

The Indian market has unique requirements which we have enjoyed adapting to. For instance, India has certain requirements for data localization, particularly regarding how data is stored and transmitted. Some of these requirements are already determined, while others are still evolving. To assist our Indian customers in meeting these requirements, we’ve established data centers in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Our local data center presence offers full data localization compliance to cloud customers, as well as reduced latency and high availability.

What are your roles and responsibilities as the VP of Global Marketing at Futurex?

Futurex’s operations cover every geographic region in the world, and our marketing efforts are no different. Using the wealth of region-specific knowledge built by our international sales and support teams, we listen carefully to the needs of our clients. I’m proud of the outstanding work our marketing team delivers each day to align our customer’s needs with the solutions we offer. 

In a crowded marketplace, what are Futurex USPs over the competition?

Throughout our 40+ years in cryptography, Futurex has been the first to market with innovative new use cases that become industry standards in time. For example, we combined all our key management solutions into one powerful key management HSM, the KMES Series 3. This came at a time when centralized solutions for key management simply didn’t exist. Futurex was also the first to apply the principles of machine virtualization to HSMs: our HSM virtualization capability allows users to spin up independent virtual HSMs with unique firmware and keys inside of host HSMs, multiplying their power and functionality.

Our unique cloud services have paved the way for more and more organizations to maximize their investments in cloud cryptography. For example, many organizations with highly sensitive data need extra security for their applications running in the cloud. To that end, we’ve developed bring-your-own-key (BYOK) services that let organizations control the keys for their cloud data. Our external key administrator services let organizations that don’t have internal key management resources control their own keys through us. These options center cloud services around the customer first, furnishing more options and security for their sensitive data. Currently, our focus is on expanding the possibilities of cloud cryptography for an even wider global user base. 

What is your approach to developing and executing a global marketing strategy for a company like Futurex with a diverse range of products and services?

Marketing’s primary responsibility is to be prescriptive and clear in communicating our value and how it aligns with the challenges we solve for our customers. These values need to be clearly understood internally, to our partners and customers, and to the market. It isn’t about speeds and feeds, it’s listening to our customers to understand their business problems and providing clear solutions. Too many companies try to sell everything to everyone, what I call the ‘buffet’ of offerings, and leave it up to the customer to be the product expert – this is a failed, legacy marketing approach. 

In the rapidly changing digital landscape, how do you plan to ensure that Futurex stays at the forefront of marketing trends and innovations?

Futurex executive team stays deeply engaged and presents at major global conferences and conventions for datasecurity, from RSAC to PCI community meetings. In addition to informing the industry about emerging trends we’ve noticed and technologies we’ve recognized, we collaborate with industry leaders at these events to keep a finger on the industry’s pulse. 

We have always specialized in custom development projects for our customers and partners, delivering new functionality and special integrations. Working collaboratively with the people who directly use and supply our technology gives us critical insight into what our users value, what they need, and what they most want to see from cybersecurity solutions in the future. 

Data breaches and cyberattacks are constantly in the news. How do you leverage current events and incidents in your marketing efforts, and how do you balance the need for awareness with the potential for fear mongering?

Cybersecurity incidents can be catastrophic on multiple levels. On one hand, the cost of a cyberattack can be anywhere from the hundreds of thousands to millions in USD. Just as damaging is the reputational impact a data breach entails.In principle, we avoid leveraging specific cybersecurity incidents or using any particular organization or incident as an example.

Building trust is crucial in the cybersecurity industry. How does your marketing team work to establish and maintain trust with your customers and partners?

Where there’s real and consistent value for customers and partners, there’s trust. Futurex works to provide high-quality information and insight to data security professionals to aid them in understanding complex systems and making informed decisions.

Where do you see the future of global cybersecurity marketing heading, and what trends should we be on the lookout for in the coming years?

Cloud services are on the rise in markets around the world and across many verticals. For Futurex’s part, we’ve long pioneered cloud as the future for encryption and key management solutions and look forward to introducing an array of innovative new cloud services that we anticipate the global markets to adopt eagerly. 

What challenges do you foresee in the future of global marketing, and how is Futurex preparing to meet these challenges?

As cybersecurity threats continue to evolve,we anticipate consumer behavior shifting towards solutions that solve core business problems and address compliance regulations. We will continue to invest in consumer-first developmentthat aligns our solutions to customer challenges and market demands.