Do you want know how a 22 year village boy became India’s youngest CTO?
They say stars are born, but we found stars rise up out of sheer passion, determination and dedication. Inspiring citizen got a golden opportunity to explore the life of India’s youngest CTO, Atul.
This is a real inspirational story which will also inspire you become what you want in your life..!
In this awakening interview, Mohammed Rafi has explored some enriching life changing principle of Atul, for your success.
1. In most interviews the first question is to introduce yourself. Let’s break the interview rules and you can choose, both the first question and the answer.
Wow, I like the sound of that. Breaking rules; it has always been an enticing thing for human beings. If I were to ask myself the first question, it would be what did I do today to contribute to the society? I guess it is more of a self-assessment prognosis for all. Think on your activities from past day whenever you wake up or go to sleep.
You will have a lot to answer for. I know I am young for at least thinking philosophically, but it is better to be a little realistic and mature in life. So there you have it, a question and an answer to provoke something.
2. Your million dollar tip for your brothers and sisters who are dreaming to make it big in their own chosen field.
Since you mentioned the “brothers” and “sisters” factor, I’d like to get a little personal with the readership here. I want you all to have confidence in yourself, your skills and you passions in life.
You will see haters and many people, who like nothing more than passing around waves of negative energy – Don’t let this take you down. To be successful in life, define your own standards and walk by them. Success does not have to be about money and fame. Maybe you love something that doesn’t qualify the definition of “success”; still I want you hell bent on achieving that thing.
Let your passion inspire hard work in you. You will make mistakes, but don’t we all do that? The idea is to learn from your experience and overcome the obstacles in your path. Keep your eyes on the horizon and that’s about it.
You can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.
3. What is so special about security research and what value are you going to give the world?
I think that security research was a highly ignored subject in the past. Last month, Lieberman Software Corporation published an article, suggesting that 70% of online companies will suffer from cyber attacks in the next six months.
What we are offering the world right now is something that very few online security companies are doing. There are numerous internet businesses that thrive on dealing with your personal information. Under severe circumstances, these websites get hacked, and the client side information, such as; Credit Card Details, SSNs etc., is compromised.
The companies lose not only thousands of dollars, but also that reputation factor which they worked for years on end. This is what’s “so special” about online security.
4. Defencely – The name sounds interesting!!! Please give a clear and crisp view about it, for our readers.
Yes, it does. We came up with this name, taking the word: Defense. Defencely is a cloud penetration security services company. We test all kinds of websites for weaknesses and vulnerable areas; anything that an unauthorized person or a hacker can use for negative purposes.
What sets us apart is that not only we detect those bugs, but we fix them once and for all. There are a very few IT security experts who have the know-how of fixing vulnerabilities; we are definitely one of them.
5. Who according to you is your biggest inspiration in life and why?
I think I am still a little young to make some person an inspiration for lifetime. It is because of the fact that we meet all kinds of new people in life. Yes, there are moments when you feel someone is inspiring, so in this context, I’d love to mention a few great people.
It will have to be 5 people. First of all, the credit goes to my parents; both of them have been very supportive of me throughout the last 20 years. Then there’s my brother: Rahul, who has inspired me to not give up. He is someone who has helped me in various situations of life. Whenever I have hit an obstacle, Rahul cheers me up with his ‘chin up” attitude.
The fourth person would be Mr. Ghanshyam Vyas (Maharaj), always keeping his eyes on me. Whenever I make mistakes, Maharaj nudges me in the right direction. Finally, without mentioning Mr. Ritesh Sarvaiya, I would be making a folly here.
Mr. Sarvaiya is the CEO of Defencely, which I made a slight mention of in this interview. With our recent global launch, we have become a stepping stone in the cloud penetration security industry. Mr. Ritesh holds vast experience of dealing with people from all aspects of life. What really inspires me in his character is the fact that he is not afraid to take the plunge.
While the idea of founding Defencely was still in its flares, I remember how he would never hesitate to contact IT professionals, no matter which part of the world they were from. It is this unique trait which has led us to actually see our security company related dreams achieved today.
I can only imagine that with strong expertise in social engineering and people handling, Ritesh and the entire Defencely team will be making India a beacon of light all over the world pretty soon. Keep your fingers crossed. Kudos to all.
Any one who wants to know more about Defencely can connect with Ritesh on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or drop him email hi (@)defencely.com
6. What is the most precious lesson you have learned in your life?
Keep moving forward. Things don’t stop at one point. Apparently, something or some incidents might make the perspective a little dark for you, but don’t let it bring you down. Leave the rest to the Almighty and keep your head high.
7. I have seen and read that you received huge accolades from companies like Google, Github and Apple. Can you share with us how you reached till there, the support you received from your team and your feelings about the whole thing?
Frankly, anyone could have done that, and people still do receive those accolades. I credit my success to hard work and my parents’ blessings. In this field, you have to stay self-motivated and rely on self-mentorship. No one will walk you through anything related on the internet. Most of the things, such as ethical hacking practices, hard core vulnerability detection techniques; I learned them through rigorous practicing.
Wherever I encountered any problems, I would never hesitate to call someone directly, or send emails to people who, I thought, had answers to technical questions. My overall experience with Defencely team and everyone else who has been associated with this project has been going on really well.
8. What is the future of IT in India and do you think that recession will take a hit on it?
The future of IT in India, and particularly, all over the world is really bright. I attribute this to the fact that we are moving forward, technology is advancing – hence creating a “need” in all aspects of the IT industry. Besides, India is significantly leading the IT sector some many aspects.
We have app developers, Android game experts, ISPs, carrier services, and tons of areas that are aching to hire talented people. When you ask me about the “recession” factor, no, I don’t even want to think about that. We are not headed towards recession. Frankly, nobody is. In worst case scenario, if the IT suffers something drastic, it will be creating “need” for new talent to overcome this gap.
It is a lifetime process, a never ending cycle all over the world.
9. What is your personal vision and what is the vision of your company?
My personal vision and Defencely’s vision are aligned to one another. I am part of the company that treats me as a family. I have a great leader, Mr. Ritesh Sarvaiya heading over the entire project, so I just want to take things to the next level collectively.
If hackers don’t give up on compromising website security, we are always a step ahead to give them one helluva time.
10. Tell us 5 qualities that every human being should possess?
- Respect.
- Don’t be jealous of someone’s success. Instead, be inspired.
- Keep Ego to ZERO
- Cross limits to achieve your dreams.
- Hard work
11. What are the roadblocks you have faced in your life and how did you overcome it?
Five years ago from today, I didn’t even know how to turn On a PC. That was the level of my “expertise” when it came to dealing with computers. But I overcame those deficiencies. The point is that I had very limited resources.
I hold a middle class family background. I used to go to college on bicycle, when most of my colleagues used to come on cars and motorbikes. Financially, things were tough and they still are a little difficult to deal with, but there has been a great deal of improvement lately.
However, I never asked my parents for anything that I knew that it would put them in a difficult state. My dad used to give me monthly pocket money, but as soon as I learned about computers, I started spending it on the internet plan.
You must have heard of the expression that it takes intense weather changes and blazing sunlight for a fruit to ripen over time. This was my case. I coped with things that needed to be coped with, and I changed those that were affecting my goals.
12. What do you have to share with the global parent’s community?
Dear parents; please don’t hurdle your sons’ and daughters’ dreams with your wishes. Fulfill your responsibilities to the best. Make them a great citizen of the society, but let them define their own destiny. Oversee their interests and don’t let them do anything wrong. However, encourage them to be what they want to be in life.
13. Do you want to play the devil’s advocate, now?
<Laughing on myself right now>. I have seen “The Devil’s Advocate” and I know you are referring to the protagonist’s life. Frankly, I have a long way to go, before assuming the responsibility of advocating anything.
14. Share with our readers your current feeling in one sentence?
Right now: “Tears In My Eyes”
15. Dear friend, just pour the rest of your thoughts and feelings in how many ever words you want. It’s our privilege to share your inspiring life with the world.
If you are an online business owner, DO NOT ignore your website’s security. There will be a time when a hacker will destroy your business, or a jealous competitor will use negative tactics to affect your revenue.
Also, to all the aspiring security researchers out there, I’d like to tell them to work hard. Keep your eyes open for any tutorials available on the internet. This is how I learned, and this is how you will learn to be great at what you love. Other than that, I wish you God Speed on your endeavors in life.
Comments
“Define your own standards and walk by them..” Atul’s thoughts remind me of Rancho of 3 Idiots! I agree with him that future of IT is great.
And who knows importance of website security better than me as my own website was hacked. It is fact that WordPress is the least secure platform due to open-source (PHP) base and WP sites are more likely to be hacked.
Jignesh Rathod (TechForWorld) recently posted…23 Things I Hate About Your Blog
Hi Jignesh,
You are absolutely right. I too wish if all parents let their children do what the child loves, rather than insisting the child to pursue what the parent likes.
Your comments are always thoughtful, Jignesh and we sincerely thank you for your regular visits and comments.
Thanks Jignesh,
Rafi
I just noticed you have a litlle link down in the footer called
“Start a site like this!”, might need to get rid of it. Plenty of reasons, I don’t know where to start, I bet you know some of the important ones.
Best regards from I
I. C. Daniel recently posted…”Mars: War Logs” launched 2 days ago
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for bringing it to our notice. This was part of a good gesture from our end to support the person who built this site for us.
However we can change the wordings to please google
This is proud moment for entire team of Defencely Cheers to Atul’s success very happy for him !!
I wish you all success for Defencely and your entire team, Ritesh..!
Hi Rafi,
I was too inspired by your article then I did some research on google and whatever I found was shocking !!!!!
Check this out
http://behinddefencely.blogspot.in/
Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I definitely enjoyed reading it,
you are a great author. I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and may
come back sometime soon. I want to encourage continue your great job, have a nice evening!
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