Providing a Barrier against Threats that May Harm your Mobile Endpoints: Zimperium

Companies can finally defeat mobile security problems such as device threats, network threats, phishing and application-based attacks with advanced machine learning. To provide a solution, Zimperium has helped define the market and it now stands as the #1 choice for Mobile Security Solutions & Mobile Threat Protection in the industry today.

Zimperium, the global leader in mobile device security, offers real-time, on-device protection against Android and iOS threats. The Zimperium platform leverages its award-winning machine learning-based engine, z9, to protect mobile data, apps and sessions against device compromises, network attacks, phishing attempts and malicious apps. To date, z9 has detected 100% of zero-day device exploits without requiring an update or suffering from the delays and limitations of cloud-based detection—something no other mobile security provider can claim. Headquartered in Dallas, TX, Zimperium is backed by Warburg Pincus, SoftBank, Sierra Ventures, Samsung and Telstra.

In conversation with Shridhar Mittal, CEO

Q. What is the impact of cloud and big data on a company’s IT infrastructure and its security today?

As more resources and corporate information is moved to the cloud, it will be accessed by various endpoint devices. There are protections in place to ensure traditional endpoints are secure as part of the access, but very little if any protections are in place for mobile endpoints (i.e. phones and tablets). So the IT infrastructure, specifically mobile, must adapt.

Q. Artificial Intelligence has been the buzzword, and it will continue to hit the stride. Do you think enterprises should embrace AI to drive much advanced cyber security?

It depends on what you’re using AI for, and what problem you are trying to solve. In the case of endpoint protection, AI makes a lot of sense. Historically, endpoint protection was accomplished through signatures - - you had a large signature database and you compare that against potential threats looking for a match. The rate at which threats could morph as well as the volume makes this approach limited. Several new security companies adopted AI as their base platform to deliver better security for traditional endpoints and they are slowly replacing traditional endpoint security solutions. In the case of mobile, there is no legacy installed base to move from so you have the benefit of starting with AI-based mobile security which is perfectly suited for mobile given the overall signature issue and also some of the limitations you have on mobile that don’t lend themselves to large, overbearing security apps.

Q. A security firm has two big responsibilities, one – to secure oneself from being attacked and two –securing other companies against attacks. The first one can be tougher than the second; how do you manage both?

Security is in our DNA so as we’re developing solutions for customers that are industry leading, we also apply the same mindset to our internal systems and IT environment.

Q. Can you talk about your products and services in brief?

We have three primary mobile security solutions. zIPS is our on-device application that protects against all types of mobile attacks and is managed centrally through a Zimperium console and through integration with an MDM/UEM.  It relies on the underlying z9 machine learning-based technology. zIAP is based on the same z9 technology but in an SDK form factor for easy integration to mobile applications.  The integration takes less than 10 minutes and delivers the same protection against various mobile threats. The benefit of zIAP to the customer is there is 100% adoption, as the mobile security is incorporated into any app update through the app stores. Lastly, z3A is our Advanced Application Analysis.  z3A has analyzed millions of applications and the over 5,000 that are added each day to the app stores. The analysis gives IT organizations insight into the risk level of apps for privacy and security so they can make informed decisions on whether to allow those apps into their environment or not.

Q. What do you feel are the reasons behind your service popularity?

We solve a real problem that organizations have. Mobile devices are the new endpoint and the favourite attack target of hackers. We protect the new endpoints with a positive customer experience at both the end user and administrative level.

Q. How does your company contribute to the global IT security platform at large?

Mobile devices represent 60% of the endpoints in an organization.  Getting visibility into those endpoints is critical. The visibility is often integrated into the global IT security platforms of SIEMs or MDMs.

Q. Do you have any new product/service ready to be rolled out into the market?

We continue to evolve our existing products as well as lead the industry in new and innovative solutions.

Q. Where do you see your company in a couple of years from now?

Mobile security is a key piece of the enterprise security ecosystem, and Zimperium will continue to lead the mobile security market through innovation, customer service and strategic partnerships.

The Face of the Organization

Shridhar Mittal | CEO

Shridhar is the CEO of Zimperium. Previously he was the GM of the Application Delivery business unit at CA Technologies (CA), where he was responsible for creating the DevOps vision and establishing CA as a leader in the high-growth space. At CA, Shridhar ran a global organization and led the acquisition of Nolio. Shridhar came to CA with the successful $330M acquisition of ITKO. Prior to ITKO, Shridhar had an 11-year career with i2 Technologies in various roles including pre-sales leadership, sales leadership, and various marketing and general management positions. He finished his career with i2 as the Chief Marketing Officer.

"We are currently scaling various regions and aiding our customers by providing real-time on-device defense solution against known and unknown mobile threats.”