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Manoj Apte
Ex- Chief Strategy Officer at Zscaler Inc.
Professional Background
Manoj Apte is a dynamic and innovative leader with a proven record in the technology sector, specifically in cloud security. As the head of Product and Strategy at Zscaler, Manoj has played a pivotal role in defining and shaping the company’s robust cloud security platform. Under his guidance, Zscaler has embarked on a multi-decade journey designed to provide digital enterprises with a seamless experience in leveraging cloud and mobility solutions. His strategic vision has been instrumental in the development of a comprehensive portfolio that includes high-end offerings such as Secure Web Gateway (SWG) Proxy, Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), Cloud Firewall, Sandboxing, and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) for Internet Access. One notable achievement includes Zscaler’s unique solution for Private Access over the Internet, which significantly enhances security for remote workers and distributed workforces.
Moreover, Zscaler has garnered prominent recognition in the industry, having maintained its esteemed position as a leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for over nine years, achieving the status of the only leader in SWG as of 2020. This recognition underlines Zscaler’s excellence as a mature Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform, a testament to the effectiveness and foresight of its product strategy and offerings that Manoj has overseen.
Throughout his successful career spanning over eight years at Zscaler, Manoj has been involved in a myriad of roles. He has spearheaded sales enablement and marketing initiatives while fostering key strategic partnerships that have solidified Zscaler's place as the preferred choice for numerous Global 2000 companies aiming to protect their workforce. Furthermore, he has significant experience in overseeing engineering and operations during the early stages of the company, demonstrating a versatile blend of roles that reflect both technical and managerial acumen.
Education and Achievements
Manoj Apte’s educational background is impressive and foundational to his expertise in technology and security. He holds a Ph.D. in Computational Engineering with a specialization in Machine Learning from the prestigious Mississippi State University. This academic achievement underscores his extensive knowledge and understanding of complex systems and algorithms that form the backbone of cloud security technologies. Furthermore, he completed a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Aerospace Technology from the renowned Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, a notable institution that has produced numerous leaders in engineering and technology fields.
In addition to his formal education, Manoj has continuously contributed to the technology community. He has been an active participant in the Cloud Security Alliance since its inception, helping drive forward the critical discussions surrounding cloud security and best practices in the industry.
Organizational Experience
Manoj has built an extensive career path within the technology sector. Prior to his significant tenure at Zscaler, he served as a senior product manager at Juniper Networks, where he was responsible for the creation and launching of the Juniper 10G IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) appliance. His role at Juniper Networks spanned eight years, during which he effectively led teams focused on platform drivers, monitoring, lawful interception, firewalls, and intrusion prevention. His diverse experience includes working on Linux and real-time embedded platforms across various organizations, showcasing an adaptable skill set that merges software development, security management, and engineering proficiency.
Throughout his career, Manoj has held several high-level positions, including:
- Chief Strategy Officer at Zscaler Inc.
- Vice President of Product Management and Engineering at Zscaler Inc.
- Vice President of Product Management at Zscaler Inc.
- Director of Product Management at Zscaler Inc.
- Senior Product Line Manager at Juniper Networks
- Engineering Lead at Juniper Networks
His journey through these roles has not only fortified his leadership abilities but also enabled him to form a comprehensive understanding of product strategy and management in groundbreaking technology environments, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and growth.
Manoj Apte’s career is marked by an unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation in the field of cloud security. His extensive experience and academic achievements put him at the forefront of the technology sector, and he continues to influence the landscape of digital security strategies around the world.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.