Meet the Ona – Paul Laudanski

Our ‘Meet the Ona’ series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues! Earlier this month, you met Ema. Now, we’re introducing you to one of the leaders at the heart of our intelligence operations: Paul Laudanski, Director of Security Research. As the head of the Onapsis Research Labs, Paul’s team is the engine behind our industry-leading threat intelligence and zero-day discoveries.

Please introduce yourself to the rest of the Tribe and share a little about your background – could be family, where you live, current role etc.

My name is Paul Laudanski and I live in Washington state with my family. I am a proud dad and my role in Onapsis is Director of Security Research. I have been with Onapsis a little over two years and it has truly been one of the best learning experiences of my career. Coming from the broader industry security research and threat intelligence community, this has been an exciting new chapter and learning experience for me, which I value greatly.

Please share your journey / story.  What brought you to Onapsis?

When I heard the story of the founding of Onapsis, that the founders were at heart researchers, and that the company and humble culture focused on helping SAP remain secure – to help the global commerce keep its integrity, I knew I had to be a part of this journey, on this quest.  As a security practitioner, I can think of no other admirable achievement or adventure – contributing in a meaningful way that ensures global trade and services can function against threats of attacks from ever persistent, evolving and advancements in cybercrime.  Sometimes I wonder what my career would have looked like had I tuned into Onapsis and protecting global infrastructure sooner, yet, I strive to apply my experiences every day, especially because of the zero-day threat earlier this year.  And now, I collaborate with so many intelligence and interesting people both here at Onapsis, and also at SAP.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring?  Let’s find out together…

In your spare time, what motivates you / drives you?

Definitely my kids first and foremost. A lot of my motivation comes from ensuring that they are empowered to be not only good people, but pursue their passions. It’s so important for me to be a good example and role model, and have people around me that lead by example as well. From a career perspective, I truly love my work and love this company (although, if you do what you love, is it really “work”?). Every day feels like a new, exciting adventure. Even though there are challenges, I know that I have the team and the support to get through them.

How do you bring your personal values to work with you?

I bring my personal values to work by being positive and helpful. Whether at the office or in my personal life, I always try to be a good person to be around and work with. Helping others definitely drives me and I love that I can bring that same energy to Onapsis.  We’re humans first, at the end of the day, it is better to collaborate together in trusted relationships – I believe this opens the door to asking questions like “why”, and helps promote creativity.

Is there an Ona value that resonates with you most?

If I had to choose one Ona value, I would say ‘Respect’ resonates with me the most. 

Why is Onapsis the place where you share your talents?

One of the primary reasons that I love Onapsis is that we are really helping people in a domain that has traditionally been not well understood by the broader security practitioner community. We work with some of the largest companies in the world to ensure that their customers and users are safe. I don’t think there is anything cooler than that. I also have the ability to coach, mentor and learn from our Security Research team, which brings me tremendous satisfaction.  We all get to celebrate our successes, learn from our theories, and grow and adapt together.

What advice do you have for Onas wanting to pursue a dream or challenge personally or professionally?

Keep going forward. Even if it feels like an insurmountable challenge or an ‘impossible’ dream, just keep going. You never know when you’ll have the breakthrough that leads you on the right path.

What is next for you?

I have met folks who continue working in this space, helping SAP stay secure, well past their time to retire – because the people and the technology are both amazing. I feel the same, and plan on continuing to work in this space forever.  ;)

In your opinion, how does Cybersecurity Awareness Month positively impact our industry and consumers as a whole?

Keeping security issues front of mind for everyone is vital. Overall, this month provides many helpful good recommendations and advice that can be consumed to anyone with an internet connection. Our biggest challenge as security practitioners is getting past the “it won’t happen to me” dilemma.  So it is not a question of if, but when – as we look back over the years.  The messaging remains clear, as practitioners we offer our advice, our technology, and our repeated refrain that cybercriminals target companies, individuals, assets that are ill-prepared or under-prepared—we must all continue collaborating to defend against attackers and to quickly recover when attacks are successful.  Having this month is so important because it gives us a dedicated and unified global voice to share this message.