5 mins with...Imperva's Stree Naidu and Kane Lightowler

What does Imperva do?
Imperva monitors and protects structured and unstructured data and the applications that access it.

How do you select resellers for your channel program?
Imperva strategically partners with resellers and systems integrators that have an area of expertise around information security, audit and compliance. Imperva partners hold strategic relationships with their customers and are well known as trusted advisors to assist them to solve key business problems together.

How did you come to work together?
There are two rumours as to how we met and we'll let you figure out which one is correct. The first is that we met at a Mensa meeting. The second is we met in a bar. A month later, I approached Kane to join an organisation I was running in the region. Now we are trying to replicate and improve on our previous success with Imperva.

Stree (pictured), what is the best thing about living in Singapore?
I have to say [I miss] everything Australian, from being able to know where the Cats are on the AFL ladder, down to the sublime food in Melbourne. The best thing about Singapore is that I am still close enough to be visiting Australia regularly yet I can be at a focal point of Asia Pacific and Japan and manage our expanding business in the region.

What's it like working together when you are 6500 kilometres apart?
It means we can talk to each other in our underwear without giving anyone the wrong idea . . . It means we need to stay in close contact to ensure we are giving each other the support required. It couldn't work without a high level of trust. AFL or NRL? Fight! This is an easy one - neither! We both love Liverpool Football Club . . . you'll never walk alone!

Why is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard important for Australian businesses?
PCI-DSS help guide merchants who process payments via credit cards improve their security management, policies, procedures, networks architecture and more. PCI compliance is important to all Australian organisations who accept payment from customers via credit cards to maintain a good relationship with acquiring banks and decrease the risk of non-compliance liabilities.

What can be done to improve compliance with PCI DSS?
Australian businesses' PCI compliance is improving but we lag other parts of the world as many of the consequences suffered elsewhere do not apply as harshly as here. The risks are still the same across the globe, however the consequences without mandatory disclosure etc really are not as strong. If the Australian government was to enforce mandatory disclosure it would make a major difference in the way Australian organisations handle sensitive customer information.

Kane Lightowler, regional sales director - Australia & New Zealand at Imperva

I'd rather be . . .?

Kane: If I wasn't doing this, I would be doing something much less stressful and less competitive... like riding in the World Superbike championship, or flying fighter jets.

Stree: I love what I do but if I could sell security software from a boat, it would help. Apart from this, I wouldn't mind being a premier league soccer player.