Don’t Settle On Your Dreams — Make Them A Reality with Sem Ponnambalam
Listen to the episode on Spotify / iTunes / Castbox / Stitcher / Google Podcasts
Listen to the episode on Spotify / iTunes / Castbox / Stitcher / Google Podcasts
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Invest Ottawa. We teamed up to produce this special series in celebration of International Womxn’s Week, and the women leading in Ottawa. Visit investottawa.ca/iww to learn more.
“Aim as high as you can because that's the only way you'll get anywhere”.
Sem Ponnambalam refuses to settle on her dreams. The President and Co-founder of XAHIVE, Sem drives the businesses global operations, fuelled by her mission to empower people, businesses and nation-states from the devastating repercussions of cybersecurity breaches.
Sem has mobilized relationships with industry-leaders around the world like BlackBerry, RedHat and IBM, shared her expert insight through a wealth of articles, white papers, books and published journals, and has facilitated critical workshops and conversations on cybersecurity governance with international businesses, associations, academic institutions and as a panelist representing XAHIVE at the World Economic Forum in New York.
Today, Sem shares how you can tackle new challenges — to expand your mind, pursue your passions, and shape a better future for the next generation.
This episode is for you if:
You’re passionate about an issue but worry you’re missing the industry experience to address it
You want to protect yourself from growing cybersecurity threats
You have navigated personal loss in the midst of professional growth
You refuse to settle on your dreams
Looking for something specific?
[12:48] The series of unfortunate cybersecurity events that drove Sem to launch XAHIVE
[16:00] Is your home network secure?
[19:18] How people and policy are crucial for the success of any tech solution
[19:30] Common cybersecurity breaches
[24:00] By 2027, the global cybersecurity market will reach $276B
[24:32] Over 60% of small business go out of business after a cyber security attack/breach
[28:00] What you need to know to protect yourself from cybersecurity threats
[30:50] “Data is the new oil.”
[33:38] Mission-driven: what keeps Sem going
[35:00] Shaping a better future for young people
[37:00] To get anywhere, you must aim high
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Invest Ottawa. We teamed up to produce this special series in celebration of International Womxn’s Week, and the women leading in Ottawa. Visit investottawa.ca/iww to learn more.
Psst — Sem shared some great resources to help you expand your mind, pursue your passions, and shape a better future for the next generation. Check them out below, with links you can access right away.
Naomi: How did you get started?
Sem: I was born in Sri Lanka in 1978. My father was a diplomat posted in Zambia. My friends were from around the world. Some of my best memories were when my parents would take me to volunteer in Zambia’s remote villages. We learned so much from the local community.
We moved back to Sri Lanka in 1983, at the beginning of the Civil War. It was not safe for my father, so he escaped. My mom and I followed a few months later. They didn't tell me why he left in case I was questioned, which ended up happening. My father came to Canada as a political refugee and he sponsored us.
Ottawa has been my home since I was eight years old, and I went to Carleton for both of my degrees. My father passed away when I was 15. My mom took it quite hard. I was lucky to have had neighbors, and family friends who took me under their wing.
During undergrad I worked on Parliament Hill and at McDonald's part-time. I was selected for an internship in Washington, D.C. with Senator Dianne Feinstein, then with Amnesty International.
I am passionate about women's and children's rights. In grad school, I did my thesis on reproductive sexual rights for low caste women in India. This enabled me to go to India for fieldwork. While completing my master's, I got an internship at UNHCR. I applied for positions in Africa, New York, and Switzerland, and I got them all. Then my mum fell quite ill.
I moved back to Ottawa to be with her and started working with the Canadian government – in Health Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, Global Affairs, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada. I left to start a company with my husband, David.
Naomi: Why did you pursue international development?
Sem: As a child of a diplomat, I was exposed to many international cultures. Experiencing financial hardship and losing my dad at a young age connected me to humanitarian work. I saw the struggles my mum went through: financially, emotionally, and mentally. I want to be there for other women and kids.
Naomi: What has it been like building your company, XAHIVE?
Sem: XAHIVE began after David and I experienced three different cyber breaches while working with the government and holding secret clearance – before we got married, when we were applying for a mortgage, and when my healthcare data was compromised.
We pulled our skill sets together: David with his technology background and my years of regulatory and market development experience. I had to learn a lot because I didn't know anything about cybersecurity.
I don't want this to happen to everyday people. That’s why we left the security of a government job. On average, it takes over 280 days for an enterprise to find out about a breach. Imagine what that’s like on a personal level.
Naomi: What are some of your learning practices?
Sem: You're constantly working with new people in cybersecurity. You must have soft skills to communicate with different cultures, connect, and sell your product. Successful teams have co-founders that have tech and interdisciplinary backgrounds.
Naomi: How do you offer support at the business and enterprise level?
Sem: In terms of governance, there are tons of solutions out there. If you don't have policies and procedures to protect those solutions, you will see cyber breaches. The biggest breaches happen because, internally, people don't know what to do.
Do you have policies for employees who are on vacation? Do you shut off access to their email? How often do you do audit your organization? What about third-party vendors – do they have access to your data? Small businesses and enterprises have huge value chains: from employees to end-users, which can be clients or customers.
If you own a bakery, who are you purchasing flour from – a traditional grocery store, or a local mom and pop? How do they store their data? Who accesses that information? Do people pay by credit card or online? Do you back up your storage only in the cloud? What happens if it goes down or is breached? Do you have backups? Are you training employees on phishing malware?
Are you calling your vendors if they send you an email? Or are you taking it at face value and say, "I know her, so I'll send what she wants." Bots can watch how you communicate with someone over months and learn your communication pattern. If you send them money, it can end up in a part of the world you don't have access to.
It's not just about keeping your organization secure and educated. You have to make sure your vendors are managed the same way.
Naomi: What is the cost of cybersecurity breaches worldwide?
Sem: The cybersecurity market will reach $276 billion by 2027. The compounded annual growth rate between now to 2027 is 12.5%. 5G has a ton of legacy system issues that weren't addressed with 4G. But with 5G, there will be three times as many devices connected to the internet over the next two years as there are humans on this planet. Billions of devices will be connected to the internet without security.
Naomi: Over 60% of small and medium sized businesses go out of business six months after a breach.
Sem: Since COVID, breaches have gone up 300% to 600%, depending on the sector. In 2019 alone the average cost to recover from a breach was approximately $4 million USD.
Naomi: As a leader in this space, what investments have you made?
Sem: Focusing on thought leadership and how to set yourself apart. XAHIVE’s unique selling point is our patented technology, which enables us to provide security and end-to-end compliance solutions for enterprises and IoT data transmission.
Know who your competitors are. You can't be complacent, especially in cybersecurity. You're always playing catch up because cyber criminals are way ahead. You’re also contending with state actors. This is new warfare. Economies crumble as a result. A few days ago, I read about a criminal who breached the water system in a Florida city. That could have killed millions of people.
Naomi: How can people protect themselves?
Sem: Have up-to-date anti-malware and spyware on your computer. Don't let it lapse. Don't download unnecessary apps. Be careful with whom you share your information. We live in a culture where sharing is second nature.
Be careful with what you post, because there may be other repercussions beyond your information being breached. When COVID is over, and we can hopefully travel again, don't post when you're on vacation. Someone could go "I know you're not home, so I'm going to go rob it." Data is the new oil. Any site that gives you free access is selling your data.
If you're working in government, healthcare, finance or legal, where you're worried about someone's intellectual property or personal health information, use encrypted services where encryption keys are kept separate from the server. Because when the server gets breached, everything gets decrypted.
Naomi: What motivates you?
Sem: When I was working with the government and then XAHIVE, I was going through fertility treatment and dealing with a mum in palliative care. It was tough. I saw her leave this planet slowly, mentally and physically. At the same time I tried to conceive while navigating health issues. I don't take things for granted. I'm grateful for being alive, for all the people who believe in me and who have partnered with me, like amazing companies such as Blackberry, IBM and Red Hat.
I want to make sure my daughter has a better future and that there's a level playing field. It’s the only way we can see positive change in this world.
I've had amazing people back me up when no one else would, like Invest Ottawa. Aim as high as you can because that's the only way you'll get anywhere. You cannot be complacent. To young women looking at being an entrepreneur: it is hard work. You work night and day until you get to a certain stage.
This is a shout out to all my in-laws, family and friends. I care for you all. I've been busy but it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you. Surround yourself with people that support you. It's tough, but being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding journeys there is.
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Invest Ottawa. We teamed up to produce this special series in celebration of International Womxn’s Week, and the women leading in Ottawa. Visit investottawa.ca/iww to learn more.
Connect with Sem
Website: XAHIVE
LinkedIn: Sem Ponnambalam
Connect with Naomi
Website: naomihaile.com
Instagram: @naomiahaile
Twitter: @naomiathaile
LinkedIn: Naomi Haile