TC 100 Profile: CloudLock Takes 'People-Centric' Approach To Security

Shadow IT, the use of IT solutions and systems by workers without an employer’s approval, is a big problem for many businesses; however, Gil Zimmerman, CEO of CloudLock, said he believes taking a “people-centric” approach to shadow IT could help companies mitigate this issue.

CloudLock, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based cloud security software provider that ranked 79 on the 2014 Talkin’ Cloud 100 list of the top 100 cloud services providers (CSPs), was launched in 2011 with one goal — to transform cloud security into a business enabler. To date, CloudLock has empowered more than 5 million users to leverage the benefits of the cloud, thanks in part to its people-centric approach to shadow IT and other security problems.

“We’ve seen too many organizations take a traditional approach of trying to build a perimeter around cloud usage. That approach just won’t work anymore. The more organizations can do to empower users, the more users will thank them by being responsible,” Zimmerman told Talkin’ Cloud.

So how does CloudLock empower users? Zimmerman said the CloudLock Security Fabric services give businesses full control of their multi-cloud environments.

The CloudLock Security Fabric provides businesses with a full-service security option that they can use to manage incidents and monitor all public cloud applications enterprise-wide, Zimmerman said. It also provides companies with numerous cloud security tools that they can access from a single dashboard, including:

Pandora, for example, has used the CloudLock Security Fabric to identify critical information stored in Google Drive and protect its sensitive IP. Additionally, the Internet radio company uses CloudLock to allow domain administrators and document owners to verify the legitimacy of suspected exposures, remediate any incorrect sharing and rely on ongoing monitoring to prevent any future exposures.

How does CloudLock combat shadow IT?

A recent Forrester Research study indicated that shadow IT is a growing problem that “cannot be ignored” by today’s businesses, but CloudLock has taken steps to help companies combat this problem.

Zimmerman said CloudLock is focused on becoming “the backbone of an organization’s security program” and is taking steps to achieve this goal.

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CloudLock has launched a partner program that is designed to help systems integrators and value-added resellers (VARs) address their customers’ security and compliance concerns. CloudLock currently offers marketing collateral, presentations, website templates and other sales tools as part of its partner program to help its partners drive revenue growth.

Zimmerman added that CloudLock has developed an encryption-as-a-service (EaaS) solution, CloudLock Selective Encryption, that allows organizations to protect data IN the cloud, not FROM the cloud. This solution helps customers protect both data that is making its way to the cloud, Zimmerman noted, and retroactively safeguards data that is already residing in the cloud.

And lastly, CloudLock is preparing for “hypergrowth” in the public cloud market. Zimmerman said CloudLock currently has 90 employees and is looking to add 50 to 60 team members soon so it can better support its customers and partners.

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