SafetyDetectives spoke with Donatas Tamelis, the Managing Director at NordLayer, about what makes NordLayer stand out in a crowded cybersecurity space, how it can protect businesses from cyberthreats, the company’s approach to compliance, and much more.
Can you talk about your background and your current role at NordLayer?
My professional background and extensive experience building and developing organizations in the field of digital marketing have equipped me with a unique skill set that I now bring to my current role at NordLayer.
My passion lies in working with early-stage companies, where I can use my expertise to lay the groundwork for a strong foundation, build high-performing teams, and develop superior products that are poised for success.
As the managing director at NordLayer, I am tasked with driving the organization’s growth and success by providing strategic leadership and operational excellence. I approach my role as director with unwavering commitment, providing my team with the resources, guidance, and support necessary to be successful.
Every day, I am driven by a singular focus towards delivering results and exceeding expectations. I believe that through a combination of innovative thinking, collaboration, and a deep understanding of the market, we can continue to drive NordLayer’s growth and success well into the future.
What are NordLayer’s main features and how do they help protect businesses from cyberthreats?
We can divide NordLayer’s business protection into three pillars. Each complements the other and is needed for a full business network and device security against cyberthreats.
- The first pillar – ensuring internet access security
NordLayer helps businesses secure online connections when accessing the public internet. A wide range of shared gateways allows global business explorations and ensures privacy for users and the reallocation of resources.
- The second pillar – network and resources access management
NordLayer allows network administrators to control, secure and customize remote workforce access to a company cloud, on-premise resources, and SaaS applications.
- The third pillar – achieving compliance
NordLayer supports its clients in pursuing various compliance certifications by providing technological solutions and being in accordance with these regulations as a service provider.
What differentiates NordLayer from other cybersecurity solutions?
We see the world as a place where cybersecurity enables all ways of working. We thrive in helping businesses make this shift in the most accessible and organization-friendly way, with no stress and for every kind of business, no matter the size or structure.
Thus, NordLayer provides flexible and easy-to-implement cybersecurity tools for businesses of any size or work model.
NordLayer is a next-generation secure remote access solution that surpasses traditional VPNs. We provide businesses with secure remote access to resources, comprehensive internet threat prevention helping businesses achieve compliance, all in one platform. We ensure enhanced protection against cyberattacks.
How does your company approach regulatory compliance, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS?
GDPR: NordLayer always endeavors to comply with the principles and requirements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when processing the personal data of EEA residents. We have adopted internal documents that are binding under the GDPR. When entering into contracts with our vendors, we also sign data processing agreements related to the GDPR where applicable. The data processing activities carried out by NordLayer are described in NordLayer’s Privacy Policy
- HIPAA: Independent assessors reviewed NordLayer’s policies, standards, and procedures and concluded that they meet the security objectives outlined in the HIPAA Security Rules. It means that NordLayer is HIPAA-compliant and has the appropriate measures for securing access to Protected Health Information.
- PCI DSS: We work with certified partners who help us to navigate through the regulatory waters and comply in terms of security within Nord Security products. From the tech side – we have built a technology stack complying with the requirements ourselves.
In what ways does network access security support remote workforces and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies?
NordLayer’s mission is to enable all ways of working, including BYOD, which usually kicks in when shipping a corporate device is not an option. We believe that cybersecurity can be used as a tool that allows us to work freely with no limits or device location and/or ownership restrictions. Thus I would exclude the following component, out of many others, as a key one for BYOD and another kind of remote working to happen, when users own remote access credentials: Device posture security. This security feature is focusing on the most tangible pain points of organizations with hybrid setups. NordLayer’s Device Posture Security feature is based on the Zero Trust security model, meaning that all devices are treated as untrusted until they can prove trustworthy. This approach ensures that organizations have complete visibility and control over the devices connecting to their network.
The Device Posture Security functionality helps monitor what devices connect to the company network according to predefined rules and enables non-compliant device blocking capability to meet ZTNA requirements.
How do you see cybersecurity evolving over the next 5 – 10 years?
One of the most crucial elements of our digital lives is cybersecurity. As technology develops, so do the dangers to our systems and data. Over the next 5-10 years, we can expect to see a shift in how cybersecurity is approached and implemented.
Cybercriminals will continue to develop new strategies to take advantage of weaknesses in our systems as more aspects of our life become digital. We will need to create more sophisticated defenses against these dangers, like better authentication processes and more stringent encryption algorithms. Additionally, we can expect to see an increased focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect and stop cyber threats more quickly. On the other hand, the same tools will most likely be used in creating cyberattacks. Hence, it is imperative for companies to recognize that their workforce constitutes the most vulnerable link in the chain of securing their cyber space and need to be educated.