When UBX Cloud was looking to bolster its cybersecurity team and provide a more complete service in this area, CEO Steven Panovski was willing to go halfway around the world to find the right person to head the team.
Literally.
UBX had established an extensive relationship with an India-based company that was very deep in cybersecurity technology and strategy. Their security operations center (SOC) featured a rising star that Steven had come to know and respect for her knowledge and effectiveness in protecting companies’ cloud-based data.
That rising star was Gaganpreet Kaur, whom Steven approached with the opportunity to lead UBX’s security operations unit.
“I was the service delivery manager, and I was managing UBX Cloud, so I was able to build a relationship with Steven,” Gagan recalls. “At one point he shared an idea that he wanted to start a separate branch of UBX Cloud for cybersecurity.”
Gagan was especially intrigued by the approach Steven wanted to take.
“He had very unique plans,” she says. “He wanted to educate people with no-cost, free training on cybersecurity, AI and cloud. I liked that idea and I jumped. I told him whenever he was ready I would love to join.”
That happened in 2024, and Gagan has diligently applied her knowledge, experience and skill to get the most out of the tools in UBX Cloud’s security bundle.
“I’ve seen what an effective approach they take in their environment,” Gagan says. “There are so many elements to it – from multifactor authentication and VPNs to great tools like CrowdStrike, to important steps like regular patching. There are a lot of steps they take to make sure their clients are protected, and they also are protected.”
Gagan has also found it refreshing to operate in UBX Cloud’s “very friendly” company culture.
“In India, it’s taboo if you say something to the CEO or question them,” she says. “You can’t ask them anything. With Steven, you have the opportunity to express yourself, ask questions and learn. That is a very good quality. They always respect my views, and even if an idea I suggest has to wait, they explain to me why we’re moving slowly toward it or we are not yet working on it.”
Having been trained on tools like CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender, just to name a few, Gagan is extremely familiar with all the leading technologies that security teams deploy on behalf of clients. It helps her to be effective as she leads her team at assessing alerts, determining necessary action steps and taking charge of incident remediations where necessary.
A constant learner, Gagan appreciates every opportunity to help clients, and gleans more knowledge from the challenge. For her, it’s a privilege to lead UBX Cloud’s security operations unit and stand as the first line of defense for the company and its clients.