"Why did you join Paladion, and what makes you stick around?"

When some one asked me this a couple of days back, here's what I said...

Paladion was the place that promised to answer the questions I had. I was looking to knowing how the Internet works, what is being done to assure privacy on the NET, knowledge on operating systems, firewalls etc. I figured working in the field of Information Security would help me answer these questions.

Guess what, I know the answers to most of the questions I started with. And over the years, things have become much more interesting and it feels like I was just scratching the tip of the iceberg. Today Paladion is working on much more challenging issues. Is the firewall doing its job? How do you know its doing its job? Are the IDS that you are using effective? Are the technology solutions being used in the most secure manner? Simple questions which require in-depth understanding of the concepts and knowing the limitations of security solutions.

And what makes me stick around …My PEERS. It just feels good to be part of this TEAM. The dedication shown by them to solve customer problems, their knowledge on different phpects of security and finally their willingness to share this information in a whole hearted way makes it a wonderful place to spend your time. Their efforts to share information inspired me to write articles of my own, as well as gave me an opportunity to contribute my $0.02 to write a chapter on Network Forensics in the 'Know Your Enemy 2nd edition'. And of course providing solutions to the customer's satisfaction gives you the high of a job well done.

There is one more perk attached to working here. Though I am based out of Bangalore, it's been quite some time since I have been home. I love to travel, meet new people, and get introduced to different cultures. @ Paladion there has been loads of opportunities to do precisely that. Recently I was in Malaysia to help our customer develop security metrics for managing their servers securely. Prior to that I worked on a project with our US team, to help a customer assess the actions to be taken to secure its IT environment in India. Working on these projects gives you tremendous opportunity to learn new ways of doing things and be more effective in implementing practical security solutions.