Consolidating the process of cyber security and grasping the tenets of secure digital landscape, Buddhika De Alwis, the Managing Director/Co founder of Trustvault shares a glimpse of his route to success.
Stepping into his professional journey right after his higher education, Buddhika leaned toward a position as a System Administrator, before deciding to make a shift into cyber security. After a couple of successful years, he joined one of the Big Four – i.e., one of the four largest professional services networks in the world – as a trainee consultant, initiating his journey in Cyber Security.
Within a few years, Buddhika mastered the subtle technique of Cyber Security before transferring to work for a different firm, encompassed in the Big Four based in Doha, Qatar. “This gave me the exposure to work with diversified clientele and a strong bonded team. I also got the opportunity to work in the Gulf and several EU countries during my tenure”, adds Buddhika.
Although being eligible for migration, Buddhika decided against it. Instead, he stayed back in Sri Lanka to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations. Instead of going overseas for greener pastures, Buddhika worked on his own venture which later transformed into a global enterprise.
Upon receiving an offer to serve as a manager at a multinational, he chose to accept this position, which took him to immense heights. He explains, “During this time, I was fortunate to engage with elite Sri Lankan organisations. I was able to build a prominent profile among, while delivering quality services”. After several years of trade enhancement, Buddhika decides to expand his professional portfolio by tackling the reign himself, and a couple of colleagues.
Recollecting the initial times at his company, Buddhika states, “It’s not easy to start an organisation and compete in a well-built market, functioning with several big names, offering similar services. Also, we had competition from some international firms that were prominent in the market back then”. However, amidst all the barriers, Buddhika proudly owns up to their ability in launching Trustvault and capturing the essence within the market.
With challenges accompanying every step and decision taken in a start-up, Buddhika too had a fair share to accommodate. “There were many challenging occasions where I had to find innovative ways to manage an engagement and deliver the right and practical solutions to clients”, he explains, and continues to add, “These times call for revolutionary thinking. From assembling the right team to producing innovative solutions that are not available in the market, I make sure I tackle each problem uniquely”. Buddhika acknowledges the passion the Trustvault’s team shares and bonds over, in turn sculpting their outputs, successfully.
Leading a team of intellectuals, Buddhika states that he perceives each individual with different requirements. He further extends this understanding to clients, who approach Trustvault with their own set of unique expectations. “Both with staff and clients, my key cohesive technique is to be open and honest in every step of communication. I always try to find a middle ground between what I offer and what is expected of me”.
Trustvault recently extended its operational footprint by opening two international locations in Australia and Singapore. As a fledgling cybersecurity company, Trustvault will be able to not only open its doors to more off-shore clients and enterprises, but also have the capacity/opportunity to bring much-needed foreign exchange into the country, amidst the persisting financial crisis.
Trustvault is proud to be putting Sri Lanka on the map as a destination for IT & cybersecurity-related offshoring. In that regard, Trustvault has been a trailblazer in grooming & training younger professionals to cater to the global demand and market. Buddhika is very hands-on with the training activities and consideres mapping out the future for his organisation, staff & amp; local industry in the global arena to be his top priorities.
Encountering situations where individuals do not stand eye-to-eye with each other, Buddhika simply says, “I hear them out and try to understand the logic behind their disagreement”. He further states that it is essential to equally analyse a situation bilaterally. “I believe that you need to hear both sides of the story before passing a judgement”, he claims emphasising his agreement with anyone possessing a strong point for disagreement. “If the disagreement is logical, I’ll stand on the same page as them”.
Concluding his statement, Buddhika acknowledges simple enlightenments that are often overlooked by overcoming entrepreneurs. He wisely states, “Be street-smart, not booksmart! There are plenty of things that you can do using your common sense. Try and learn from others; parents, teachers, friends, etc. The more grasp, the more avenues you have to be a successful entrepreneur”. He further continues, “You need to be ready to challenge yourself. The first few years might require you to make some sacrifices. Keep that in mind and aim for success”.