Empowering Indian MSMEs: Synersoft’s BLACKbox Revolution in Cybersecurity and Cloud Solutions

CXOToday has engaged in an exclusive interview with Vishal Prakash Shah, Founder and CEO, Synersoft Technologies

1. In a nutshell, how does Synersoft’s primary goal relate to the information security and data protection requirements of Indian MSMEs?

Ans. Our goal at Synersoft is very clear: we are committed to assisting MSMEs in successfully managing their cybersecurity and IT standardization needs. We saw a significant market gap about 16 years ago, which is when our journey started. We saw that in order for Indian MSMEs to remain competitive, they would have to adopt digitalization. As their reliance on digital assets increased, protecting their data from theft and loss became crucial. But the majority of cybersecurity solutions on the market today were created for big businesses that could afford to keep their IT staffs trained. MSMEs found it to be a major obstacle because they could not afford or acquire such expertise.

We set out to create a product that would simplify cybersecurity and data protection for MSMEs in order to meet this challenge and do away with the need for specialized IT teams and multiple solutions. This project resulted in the creation of our flagship product, BLACKbox. Data protection and cybersecurity are two key functions of BLACKbox, an all-in-one hardware and software solution.

All of these functions are provided by BLACKbox, which is a single package that can be used as a file server, firewall, storage device, domain controller, endpoint controller, mail distribution system, VPN server, and productivity monitoring tool. Even more impressive is how much less expensive it is than purchasing, integrating, and putting into practice several different solutions.

2. Could you describe how BLACKbox tackles the particular cybersecurity and data protection issues faced by Indian MSMEs?

Ans. Numerous data security issues plague Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in India, which are vital to their survival and expansion. These difficulties fall into three main categories:

1. Data Security Compliance: Many Indian MSMEs are involved in international trade or work as suppliers to larger businesses. They have to follow strict data security compliance guidelines set by their larger or foreign clients in both cases. Getting vendor approval often requires meeting these compliance standards. MSMEs need to put strong data security measures in place if they want to keep their business relationships intact and access lucrative markets.
2. Cost and Scalability: MSMEs frequently find that the solutions available for data protection and information security are designed for large enterprises with substantial infrastructure and resources. These solutions are usually costly and have features that might be too much for MSMEs’ comparatively tiny operations. As a result, MSMEs must decide whether to spend money on pricey, inappropriate solutions or risk jeopardizing the security of their data, which can harm their reputation and ability to compete.
3. IT Talent Shortage: IT specialists with the necessary skills are needed for the installation and upkeep of data security solutions. Nonetheless, competent IT professionals frequently favor working for bigger companies because they provide greater pay and advancement opportunities. Therefore, MSMEs find it difficult to find, hire, and retain the necessary IT talent, even if they are willing to invest resources in data security solutions. They are more vulnerable as a result of this shortfall, which also makes it more difficult for them to handle data security.

These interconnected problems highlight the need for a solution designed specifically to meet the requirements of MSMEs. A solution like this should be easy to use, affordable, and provide all the necessary features to safeguard data from theft, loss, and leakage.

This is where Blackbox becomes an MSMEs’ game-changer. Blackbox is carefully designed to meet the needs of MSMEs that operate on a smaller scale. Blackbox offers a streamlined feature set that is in line with the unique requirements and financial constraints of MSMEs, in contrast to intricate and costly data security solutions made for larger enterprises.

Additionally, Blackbox is provided as a managed service, which spares MSMEs from having to hire or maintain skilled IT staff. It makes data security accessible to MSMEs with limited resources and insufficient expertise, by streamlining the implementation and maintenance procedures.

For MSMEs, Blackbox essentially acts as a plug-and-play solution, allowing them to easily fulfill the data security compliance requirements that their large clients demand in order to receive vendor approval. Blackbox helps MSMEs maintain their competitiveness, protect their data, and build trust with their business partners by filling the gap between the specific problems they face and the solutions that are currently on the market.

3. Could you provide information about Synersoft’s R&D Center and how it keeps enhancing BLACKbox’s value for MSMEs in India?

Ans. In response to the particular difficulties we faced along the way, our Research and Development Center changed. Our research and development team faced many challenges early on because our target customer base knew very little about cybersecurity and data protection. We were essentially creating a product for a market segment that did not fully understand its own needs, which resulted in a lot of trial and error in the beginning.

Our product became more well-known and accepted over time by thousands of MSME clients. We now actively allow these customers to shape the path of our research and development. They come to us for answers and they honestly share their new problems with us. Their comments are a priceless source of information for our ongoing efforts to raise the value of the product.

This collaborative process has resulted in the development of three significant solutions. First, there’s BLACKbox Duo, a BYOD space solution that is particularly in demand among MSMEs. It enables remote users to work on enterprise data using their personal devices while maintaining robust data security. Our hybrid Email System Solution is another outcome of this collaboration, offering customers substantial savings of up to 70% on email subscription costs. This solution was created based on feedback from customers who were frustrated with paying for features they didn’t need in other email systems. Finally, our automatic data isolation solution, known as Happy Hours or Magic Browser, was born from insights provided by our customers who sought a balance between using the Internet as a resource and controlling it to prevent data leakage.

As we continue to actively listen to our customers and engage in this ongoing dialogue, our commitment remains unwavering in further enhancing the value of our products.

4. Could you explain why Synersoft provides international standards-compliant, cost-effective, and secure cloud computing infrastructure, and why this is crucial for MSMEs’ IT operations’ dependability?

Ans. We are responding to the increasing interest of Indian SMEs in cloud computing by launching a revolutionary product called ‘BLACKbox OneCloud.’ This ground-breaking solution was created specifically to assist and direct SMEs on their path to adopting the cloud. It provides them with the knowledge and resources needed for a seamless and economical transition. By doing this, BLACKbox OneCloud tackles a typical issue that companies run into when they need to install multiple agents on devices and sign up for different cloud services.

SMEs have historically had to install different agents and subscribe to multiple services for various aspects of their IT infrastructure, including cloud backup, device hardening, endpoint control, cloud storage, VPN, and more. In addition to increasing costs, this disjointed and complicated approach makes management and administration difficult. It can be difficult for SMEs to manage the costs and complexities of having several agents and services.

BLACKbox OneCloud is made to make this process more efficient. This cloud-based solution effectively combines several functions into a single agent and service, acting as a cohesive whole. It means that with just one agent and one service, it can do all the tasks of a file-sharing server, device hardening, email vigilance policies, endpoint control enforcement, data leak prevention, VPN functionality, and backup services facilitation.

BLACKbox OneCloud drastically cuts the complexity and expenses typically related to cloud services by making it easier and more affordable for MSMEs to adopt cloud technology. For MSMEs, it’s essentially a game-changer because it makes it easier for them to adopt cloud computing, enhance their IT infrastructure, and become more competitive overall—all without having to deal with the headache of managing numerous agents and subscriptions.

5. Synersoft is present in important SME industrial centers in India. In what ways does this local presence aid in addressing the unique requirements and obstacles faced by MSMEs across various regions?

Ans. Reaching a wider geographic audience is crucial for meeting the demands of small and medium-sized enterprises. The most recent technological trends must be taken into account in order to fully comprehend its importance.

Businesses that provide cloud-based solutions don’t really care where a customer is physically located. They do not require a last-mile presence because they can service clients from almost anywhere.

For the numerous MSMEs, the situation is very different. These companies frequently run in isolated industrial regions where stable Internet access is still a recurring problem. In India, access to the Internet for consumers has become commonplace and reasonably priced, but the same cannot be said for business-grade Internet. Reliable connectivity is hard to come by in these remote areas, and business Internet connectivity is expensive per megabit per second. Because they depend on constant Internet access, cloud-hosted solutions are therefore unfeasible for a large number of MSMEs.

The software used by these MSMEs, which includes programs like Autodesk, Solidworks, and 3D modeling tools, is another strong argument in favor of local deployment. These programs don’t work well on cloud servers and produce a lot of files.

With so many SMEs in India, on-premises solutions are required. The fact that BLACKbox, our product, is made exclusively for on-premises deployment emphasizes how crucial it is that we expand internationally. In order to properly serve these MSMEs, wherever they may be, and precisely meet their specific needs, we must establish a presence on the last mile.