Innovation and security are intricately linked, forming two sides of the same coin in the ever-evolving realm of technology. While they appear to be independent concepts, their synergy is crucial for building a robust and thriving digital ecosystem.
Understanding that innovation and security are not opposing forces but complementary elements essential for navigating the dynamic tech landscape, AKS IT Services Pvt. Ltd., a leading name in the Indian IT landscape, stands tall at the forefront of both. Recognized as an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 27001:2013 certified company and led by Ms Archana Saxena, the Director, AKS IT has established itself as the topmost innovative tech company to watch in 2024 due to its dedication to:
Unwavering Commitment to Security
New technologies and solutions often introduce novel vulnerabilities. As hackers become increasingly sophisticated, they actively exploit these vulnerabilities to launch attacks. For example, the rise of cloud computing introduced new attack vectors for data breaches, necessitating innovative security solutions to mitigate these risks.
*Expert in the Field: With over 150 skilled professionals, most holding certifications like CISSP, CISA, ISO 27001, and CCNA, AKS IT boasts a team of seasoned cybersecurity veterans. This expertise translates into robust solutions that protect clients from evolving cyber threats in every realm.
*Comprehensive Service Portfolio: From auditing and consulting to training and cyber forensics, AKS IT offers a comprehensive suite of services, empowering businesses to build a layered security framework. Its services encompass penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, security awareness training, and incident response planning, ensuring clients are prepared for any challenge.
*Empanelled by CERT-In: AKS IT’s commitment to security has further validated its empanelment by CERT-In (the Indian government’s cyber security agency) since 2008. This recognition highlights the team’s trustworthiness and expertise in the field.
An Inception of the Cybersecurity Zeal
As a trailblazer in the tech industry, Ms Archana recounts the inception of their fascinating journey. “In 2003, my elder son, Akash Saxena, expressed his fervent desire to establish a company dedicated to research and development in cybersecurity, where my husband, our children, and I could contribute meaningfully. Tragically, we lost Akash while he was determined to realize this vision. The profound loss became the driving force behind the establishment of AKS IT Services Pvt Ltd in 2006.”
Both Ms Archana’s husband and their children are proficient engineers with an in-depth understanding of technology. Ms Archana recalls, “During his tenure in the Indian Air Force, my husband seized the opportunity to delve into cybersecurity, as it was an upcoming and niche domain.” Her husband, Veteran Wg Cdr Ashish Kumar Saxena was part of an Indian Defence Delegation to US on cyber security. During the visit to CERT-CC, Defence CERT, NIST and Pentagon headquarter, knowledge on cyber security and CERT was obtained. He was instrumental in creating CERT-In in the year 2003. “Subsequently, we have created AKS IT Services in 2006. We expanded our endeavours by establishing AKS Institute of Cyber Technology in 2012 and HaltDos.com in 2015.”
As a Co-founder, Ms Archana’s role centred around providing unwavering support for establishing these organisations, including administration, accounts, and human resources.
Embracing Innovation for Progress
According to Ms Archana, security drives innovation in defence. Evolving threats constantly push the boundaries of security measures. She says that to stay ahead of malicious actors, security professionals need to be innovative and develop new solutions to counter emerging threats. This often involves leveraging new technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze security data, detect anomalies, and predict potential attacks.
*Staying Ahead of the Curve: AKS IT recognizes the importance of continuous learning and adaptation. “We actively stay updated with the latest trends and innovations in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape,” says Ms Archana. “This allows us to incorporate cutting-edge technologies and methodologies into our solutions, ensuring our clients remain at the forefront of security.”
*Software Solutions and Testing Infrastructure: Beyond security services, AKS IT offers software solutions and testing infrastructure. This holistic approach empowers the team to identify vulnerabilities and develop secure and reliable technology solutions.
*Investment in Research and Development: AKS IT invests heavily in research and development to stay at the forefront of innovation. The team actively collaborates with industry leaders and academic institutions to develop advanced security solutions and tailor them to the specific needs of Indian businesses.
Thus, AKS IT is one of India’s most progressive tech enterprises. Ms Archana says, “At the core of our success lies a guiding philosophy that advocates the holistic development of our employees. We firmly believe that the Company’s growth is a direct outcome of the growth of our employees.”
She furthers that their organizational culture is designed to foster an ecosystem conducive to research and development, encouraging employees to fearlessly present suggestions for improvement to the management. “These values become ingrained in our workforce, ultimately reflecting the exceptional quality of our services and cutting-edge tech products.”
Moreover, in navigating the ever-evolving tech landscape, team AKS prioritizes continuously enhancing their technical skill set to stay abreast of the latest industry trends. Ms Archana adds, “Our commitment to innovation is underscored by the fact that our DDoS mitigation solution has earned a patent (Patent No. 353365 dated 12/10/2020), making us pioneers in developing DDoS mitigation solutions in Asia.”
Driven by client needs, they’ve expanded our repertoire to include cutting-edge solutions such as
- Web Application and API Protection (WAAP),
- Server load balancer, link load balancer,
- Anti-bot protection, DNS Security,
- AKS Forensics Workstation,
- AKS Password Cracking Machine,
- AKSIT RF Shielding Bag.
“This proactive approach has allowed us to address diverse cyber security and cyber forensics requirements effectively,” says Ms Archana.
She says they recently introduced the community edition of their Cybersecurity Stack on Cloud in line with their dedication to staying at the forefront of technology. “This stack comprises Anti-DDoS, WAAP, Anti-bot, DNS Security, and CDN, reflecting our commitment to utilizing the latest technology to provide innovative solutions to our clients,” informs Ms Archana, whose leadership style is often recognized as a driving force behind AKS IT’s achievements.
Shedding light on it and her approach to team building within the organization, Ms Archana says that her leadership style, shaped by their defence background, strongly emphasises values such as discipline, ethics, and the open sharing of knowledge. In their organization, they foster a culture where team members feel empowered to suggest and discuss any issues with the management without hesitation. This approach has been instrumental in propelling the company’s growth and inculcating a sense of professionalism and ethical conduct among the employees, contributing to their development as professionals and exemplary individuals.
A Trusted Partner for Businesses
The essence of Tech solutions lies in seamless operations and enhancing the Tech ecosystem and digital efficiency. Believing in it completely, Ms Archana says that at the heart of their tech solutions is the pursuit of seamless operations and enhancing the tech ecosystem to elevate digital efficiency. “Striking a delicate balance between operational proficiency and client expectations is pivotal to our approach.”
Their commitment to staying at the forefront of the latest technology enables them to educate their customers on the benefits of adopting new advancements while transparently addressing the associated risks. “Building trust with our customers is paramount, and upon gaining their confidence, we seamlessly implement high-tech solutions with their full support.”
In their endeavour to meet and exceed client expectations, they diligently provide reliable solutions that reduce human efforts and enhance security, ensuring a harmonious integration of innovative technology into their operational framework.
*Extensive Industry Experience: AKS IT caters to a diverse clientele across various sectors, including government, healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. This extensive experience allows the team to understand different industries’ unique security challenges and tailor their solutions accordingly.
*Focus on Client Satisfaction: Team AKS IT prioritizes building long-term client partnerships. They go beyond providing solutions and actively collaborate with clients to understand their specific needs and develop customized security frameworks that meet their unique business objectives.
*Building a Secure Future: By empowering businesses with robust security solutions and fostering a culture of cyber awareness, AKS IT is actively contributing to building a safer and more secure digital environment for the future.
Ms Archana says, “Undoubtedly, we have garnered remarkable success, and I would like to spotlight a transformative project that exemplifies our unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation.”
Making India Self-Reliant in the Digital Security Realm
Having conducted over 14,000 application security audits, including critical assessments of prominent platforms such as Co-Win, the G-20 portal, U-Win, and the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Portal, team AKS IT has consistently demonstrated its proficiency. Notably, the G-20 portal witnessed 16 lakh bot attacks per minute as part of an attempted distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. “However, the portal withstood all the attacks without any failure, showcasing the robustness of our security measures. We continue to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure and provide cutting-edge solutions for Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” informs Ms Archana.
In addition to these audits, they have pioneered the development of cutting-edge indigenous solutions, including a DDoS mitigation solution, Web Application and API Protection (WAAP), server load balancer, link load balancer, Anti-bot protection, DNS Security, AKS Forensics Workstation, AKS Password Cracking Machine, and the innovative AKS IT RF Shielding Bag. This multifaceted approach underscores their dedication to pushing the tech industry’s boundaries of excellence and innovation.
The workforce is the cornerstone of every successful organization. Thus, recognizing the pivotal role of the workforce in their success, Ms Archana says they strongly emphasise fostering a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among their employees.
“A cornerstone of our approach involves continuous training initiatives designed to keep our employees at the forefront of the industry’s latest technologies.” This includes encouraging their participation in tech webinars, involvement in Tech summits, and conducting in-house training sessions on emerging technologies.
This commitment to continual learning forms the bedrock of their culture, empowering their employees to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the company’s success.
Furthermore, as a leader in India’s dynamic Tech sector, AKS IT has encountered numerous challenges, including competition from foreign products, delays in payments, and the preference given to international offerings by local buyers. “One significant instance where our team’s resilience and ingenuity triumphed over adversity was during the initial stages of selling our products,” reveals Ms Archana.
Fostering Virtual Cybersecurity Measures
The primary challenge stemmed from the perception that being an Indian product disadvantaged them. Undeterred, they took a strategic approach, urging their customers to thoroughly compare with foreign products before deciding. Ms Archana says, “Through meticulous evaluation, our product stood the test, being compared with products from the US and Israel and ultimately receiving the esteemed designation of T1 (Technically superior).” This accomplishment validated the technical prowess of their products and marked a pivotal moment, leading to their first successful sale.
Ms Archana says, “It is with immense pride that we state that AKS IT Services has provided over 400 trained and experienced cyber security personnel to the various corporate establishments over a span of 17 years, and all these ex-employees continue to make us proud of their achievements in their new avatars.”
Moreover, according to her, technology solutions extend beyond the digital realm in the contemporary landscape, encompassing facets such as virtual reality and tech security. “Our cybersecurity solutions are meticulously crafted and offered in three distinct flavours – On-Premise solutions, Virtual Machine, and a Software as a Service (SAAS) model delivered through various cloud service providers,” she says, adding that this comprehensive approach allows them to provide a virtual cybersecurity stack on the cloud, ensuring that their clients benefit from robust and adaptive security measures tailored to the evolving technological landscape.
Propelling Societal Progress in A Secure and Responsible Manner
Ms Archana’s interest in the Tech, including the cybersecurity niche, has made her a stalwart amongst her peers. Thus, her advice to budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the tech space is to have a thorough knowledge of solutions currently used by customers and how to improve the solution for better efficiency and ease of operation.
The second advice is that there is no alternative to hard work. Also, collaboration is key for balanced progress. Innovation and security cannot exist in isolation. Developers and security professionals need to collaborate closely throughout the development lifecycle. Security considerations must be integrated into the development process from the design stage onwards to ensure solutions are not inherently vulnerable. This collaborative approach fosters the creation of secure and innovative technologies.
Furthermore, finding the right balance between innovation and security is crucial. Overly stringent security measures can stifle innovation and hinder progress while prioritizing innovation without adequate security safeguards can expose businesses and individuals to significant risks. Finding the optimal balance requires careful consideration of various factors and constant adaptation to the ever-changing threat landscape.
Looking ahead to the future, Ms Archana divulges, “Our vision for the company involves a continued focus on developing innovative technological products. Our next venture is centred around creating cutting-edge products in the field of digital forensics. While we remain committed to serving the Indian market, our aspirations extend globally, as we plan to expand our products and services in the overseas markets and make Brand India a reality.”
With Ms Arachana and her team’s unwavering commitment to security, relentless pursuit of innovation, and dedication to client satisfaction, AKS IT Services Pvt. Ltd. positions itself as a true pioneer in the Indian IT landscape, making it a company to watch closely in 2024 and beyond.
