Assignment 20A- Growing Your Social Capital

1)      Domain Expert: Pujan Kavi

Through my father, I came in contact with Pujan, who works as a cybersecurity consultant with Bank of America. As someone who has been trained in cybersecurity, Pujan is aware of many of the threats that exist online. He says the best advice he can give when it comes to cybersecurity is to share as little as possible and not keep sensitive information, like credit card or social security numbers saved on your computer. Even though Google saves 99% of everything we enter online, there are measures we can take before cybersecurity experts get involved. According to Pujan, data breaches and hacks are commonplace in his field of work. Since he works for Bank of America, which is responsible for the financial information of millions of users, he knows the importance of maintaining security. Along with his team he makes sure all data servers are running and only authorized personnel have access to the financial records of clients. Like most banks, Bank of America encourages online banking and transactions. In order to ensure that practices like this can continue, Pujan works behind the scenes to install antivirus/firewall protection, code cybersecurity programs and stay up to date with new technology and potential enhancements for his company. I found Pujan through my father who is also a computer engineer. My father and Pujan took cyber security classes together in college. When I asked Pujan about my potential business idea, he said it definitely was necessary. As the world becomes increasingly cyber, the threat of attacks and hacks are becoming more and more prevalent. As a result having security systems in place to hinder such activities would only help in the long-run. In return for his feedback, I thanked Pujan and would love to work with him in the future. If I could combine Pujan’s expertise in cyber security with my idea, I can develop a concrete product that could help millions of consumers worldwide. By making this contact, I can exploit the opportunity to protect people from having their private information hacked or leaked by those looking to commit fraud or use this information for malicious purposes.

2)      Market Expert: Sanjiv Dave  

I met Sanjiv through my Uncle, as they both work in the IT Department at AMBAC insurance in New York. Since AMBAC insurance represents thousands of clients, a lot of information is gathered about them by the company. Everything from people’s financial records to their social security is collected so that adequate research can be done into whether that individual would make a good client or not. Since AMBAC is an insurance company, Sanjiv and other’s must make sure that whoever the company chooses to represent doesn’t misuse their trust and funds. In return, it is the company’s job to protect the private data of their clientele. Sanjiv must make sure that online files are kept private and don’t fall into the wrong hands. When I asked Sanjiv about my cybersecurity system and if he would potentially be interested in purchasing it in the future, he said if it actually came to fruition he would definitely be in the market. As he stated, there is a need now more than ever to adapt to technological changes and new strategies hackers have implemented to steal private data. It is his responsibility to stay vigilant and up-to-date about all products and services on the market to help him secure his company. According to Sanjiv, if my product enhances cybersecurity with multiple checkpoints and an effective anti-virus/firewall, he would love to try it out in his company and at home. After talking with Sanjiv, I thanked him for his feedback and promised him in an update in a couple of years. I believe Sanjiv and AMBAC insurance represents a large market in the future, because they need effective cybersecurity to ensure that thousands of clientele are protected from online theft.

3)      Supplier: Bhavik Vyas

Bhavik works for Norton Security, which is a cybersecurity program for computers around the world. Norton runs numerous scans, live updates and file cleanups to free up space and prevent viruses from taking hold of computers. As someone who supplies this cyber security program, I asked Bhavik what he thought about my business model. While he said it was definitely needed in today’s day and age, he said I needed to come up with factors that would distinguish me from other competitors. For instance, he said Norton, McAfee and other security programs are all interested in protecting private information and data. He said being able to identify what makes my cybersecurity program standout is really give me a business advantage in the future. Again, I came into contact with Bhavik through my father as they had collaborated on a security project for my dads company in the past. I thanked Bhavik for is very constructive advice and definitely want to implement his tips into my updated plan. I believe he’s advice will really allow me to exploit the cyber security market in the future.

Reflection: Upon interviewing a supplier, market expert and domain expert I can safely say I got essential feedback that will enable me to develop a product that can help millions of people keep their sensitive information secure online. After talking to my three interviewees, I not only expanded my network, but I build connections that could one day help me build a substantial product. As of now, I have no formal training in cybersecurity or IT. However, building these connections gives me hope that I can have the help of individuals in the field to make this cybersecurity system a reality. I also identified potential markets to sell this product to once the time comes. Overall, I believe this process was so valuable and I look forward to doing similar exercises in the future to expand my knowledge and make new connections.