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Phishing and other cyber attacks can strike fear into the heart of every growing company, yet the issue of cybersecurity is rarely set as a priority.
NordLayer has made confusion surrounding cybersecurity a thing of the past by offering flexible and easy-to-use solutions, an increasingly important topic as software leveraging AI continues to take off.
NordLayer’s Head of Web Engineering Martynas Paškauskas is an expert at setting the golden standard for cybersecurity on the market.
In our interview, Paškauskas explored why AI is a double-edged sword, the importance of cybersecurity when working in a remote work environment, and why customer support and security should go hand-in-hand.
Who Is Martynas Paškauskas?
Martynas Paškauskas is the Head of Web Engineering at NordLayer. Focusing on digital strategy and development, he specializes in managing high-performing development teams, creating effective strategies, and executing large-scale projects. Martynas is also the co-founder of the brand identity Immeo Studio.
Vianca Meyer: Can you tell us how your previous experience helped you prepare for your current role at NordLayer?
Martynas Paškauskas: You cannot be prepared for everything you're facing, especially these days, because everything is unique. Each day we're facing challenges that weren’t here yesterday. But I like to say that if you already saw a hundred challenges, the hundred and first probably wouldn't scare you because it’s the same but from a different perspective. That's how I face challenges.
The digital landscape is always evolving. How do you keep up with all those changes and trends?
Right now, my way of doing that is trying to keep up with all the news. I like to watch YouTube videos and I have a couple of websites that I like to read as my sources for digital-related news. I'm trying to consume as much information as I can.
From the YouTube perspective, I like Marques Brownlee who does all the reviews of new gadgets and phones. He's a star, so everybody should know him. I also like to read The Verge, the portal covering cyber news.
What do you think about how AI is affecting everything nowadays, including cybersecurity?
From the cybersecurity standpoint, AI development is both threatening and helpful. The creators of AI probably cannot decide what it should be used for yet. Right now, we know that AI is used for phishing attacks and social engineering. We can look at AI as a very bad thing, but it can also be used to deal with those attacks. It's a double-edged sword.
Of the several applications and features that you've worked on at NordLayer, was there one that was particularly interesting to you?
It’s a simple choice for me and a golden standard across the market - implementing biometrics into mobile devices and whether it can be used or not. The main thing that we are talking about is cybersecurity. With mobile devices, the Android phone can be broken into, and the iOS phone can be jailbroken.
We did the work of detecting whether the phone could be compromised and then blocking the biometrics. That was a small thing but it can be implemented for all companies that are using biometrics. In my opinion, it should be implemented because if the device is already compromised, then there is no use for that device at all anymore.
Do you think that a lot of remote businesses don't put enough focus on cybersecurity?
Yeah, but when everybody is sitting in an office, it's simple to be in control. You can see whether a person is in their workplace or not, and whether the device is in the office or not. It's easy because devices are connected to a trusted work network.
Right now, when we are used to working from coffee shops, airports, and other places without trusted networks you cannot even imagine who's looking behind your back at your computer.
It’s important to have that layer of security implemented because there is a layer that is not controlled by your devices and yourself but the company. You could give your phone and computer to me and I wouldn’t be able to access it because the permissions are set by an administrator.
Long-term support is crucial to keeping companies safe. Can you expand on how NordLayer approaches customer support?
The most important thing is that we have our in-house customer support 24/7. It means that every client who faces a problem can contact us at any time and that we will provide help. That's one of the things that is important for our customers because security cannot wait.
The other thing is that we support our clients by listening to them. We are contacting our clients every month and asking: “What needs do you have? What problems are you facing in your day-to-day operations?” Then we are building the roadmap to fulfill those things. So it's not only about supporting what's already in production, but supporting clients as they grow their business.
Lastly, do you have any specific goals that you want to achieve with NordLayer and with your Immeo Studio in the future?
Regarding NordLayer, my main goal is to have a happy team. I know that it might sound cheesy, but over the years, I’ve understood that it's impossible to achieve great results without a good team. We are achieving those results quarter by quarter. About my baby Immeo Studio, my main goal is to continue showing attention to detail for every client, as I have done in the past.
