With the invention of SaaS, cloud infrastructure, and global technology advancements, the cyber security industry is constantly evolving. Instead of the old “wall” method, product managers are taking a new approach to product, including building straight to platform. How can PMs take advantage of platform products to serve multiple use cases? Authomize VP of Product Guy Katzir shares the holistic approach to cyber security and how to build great platform products.
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On the Holistic Approach to Security Verification
Before, cybersecurity began as a “wall” approach with data leak prevention (DLP) and making sure secure information didn’t leak outside the “walls”. Now, as Guy describes, there is a much more holistic approach to cybersecurity that is changing from the ground up of the security stack.
“One of the core principles is constantly verifying a large and meaningful amount of context from all sources in order to help with the verification decision process that needs to happen all the time,” Guy says.
This can be simple to do from a cybersecurity perspective but can be a bit tricky to explain.
“We’re monitoring the identities and monitoring the access privileges, and the state within the customer’s applications in order to really secure those,” he says. “There is the need to make sure that only the allowed people are actually allowed and doing the correct things within the application. This is basically where we see a gap and what we hope to solve.”
On Building a Platform Product
Guy takes us through the thought process of creating a security product that is more than a product but a new approach. When a product has many use cases and clients, it is easy to create special aspects or products for that use case and get feedback directly on that product. A big question is what if this new product won’t serve other use cases?
“One of the core things that we’re tasked with each and every day is, do we really sell the platform that we are out to build?” Guy says.
There is then an evaluation period, he says, with questions like what’s the customer value in that? Is that going to serve more than the subset of customers that have been asking for that? Is this serving us towards the strategy that we’re on? How do we build that in a way that there’s a platform value? This is where it becomes more than checking boxes.
“We are providing more context that is accurate, meaningful, and helpful for the decision-making process. This is where we really start to see the platform value builds, layer on top of layer, forming the intersections of the different use cases.”
On Using Platform for Security Customer Needs
The platform space is great for cyber security products because the problems are so wide that each use case could be a product or company in itself. By providing a platform product, each use case can adjust to fit their needs.
“A security practitioner will come in and we’ll define the right scope. Then, for each and every use case, he can decide what controls he wants to apply on that certain scope. So in a way, the scope or “securable” now becomes a shareable object, because the platform is where each and every use case can benefit, as well as it’s just more easy to use. Each and every use case is now applying that is kind of a click of a button, because all of the heavy lifting has already been done as part of the platform setup.”
On Having Passion for Product Management
Guy finds joy working in product management. It has been something he has been involved in since the age of 19.
“I found myself over the years getting itchy every time when I see or hear about the inefficient way of doing things,” he says. “Over time I’ve said, hey, if I can make a profession out of this, it will make me the happiest person in the world.”
If he went back in time to give himself advice, Guy would want to get a jumpstart on putting into action the core areas that makes a great product manager.
“Whatever you’re doing, just make sure to map the core competencies that you will see for being great in the product management profession, and start now doing the actions that you need in order to master each and every one of those.”