Gagandeep Singh Chaudhry has found a niche in the apparently labyrinthine world of IT compliance: regulations spread like tentacles across borders and cybersecurity threats evolve at breakneck speed. With over 16 years of career experience, from intricacies in network engineering to leading compliance strategies at behemoths such as Adobe and Cisco, Gagandeep has emerged as an indispensable figure in the transformation of how companies approach security and regulatory compliance worldwide.
From STEM enthusiast to compliance architect
Initial spark: Gagandeep was interested in science as a child and shone brightly in most local science fairs. That kindled him to computer engineering, but never was an end goal; thus, he went on to study for an MBA in IT Risk Management, fully understanding this nexus of technology and risk in business. This mix of technical know-how and business strategy forms the backdrop against which he approaches compliance, making him uniquely suited to tackle the challenges of modern IT security.
Revolutionizing compliance at Cisco
Gagandeep Singh is the Global Head of Cloud Compliance at Cisco, where he has led redefinition initiatives related to compliance. Some of his flagship initiatives include the Cloud Controls Framework, which brings a single view to security and compliance, further streamlining internal processes while opening up billions of dollars in market access by ensuring Cisco’s SaaS products meet stringent regulatory and market access critical standards globally. His work on Federal OpsStack is another example of his innovative spirit where he enabled Cisco’s SaaS offerings to quickly achieve federal compliance through automated, centralized and repeatable processes and strategic foresight.
The complexity of change
Such transformational compliance frameworks are not easy to implement. As Gagandeep notes, “Change, especially in compliance, is often met with resistance.” Such resistance may come from the very internal quarters where one should see a change in workflows or may come from the external quarters that are sceptical about new compliance strategies. These would require clear and effective communication through an all-rounded training course and the continuous demonstration of the positive change that this new way can bring. Gagandeep’s success in this sphere testifies to his capacity not only to conceptualise but also to implement a change.
A rare glimpse into global compliance
He sees compliance in its entirety as a game-changer and critically important in his practice.
He understands the technical dynamics and the cultural and regulatory differences across regions. “Compliance cannot be seen as a checklist versus regulatory requirements. It’s more about growing the security culture and trust in line with business goals, he said. This has helped him design solutions that resonate with the engineering teams and make compliance something of empowerment rather than a burden.
Legacy of innovation and recognition
His contribution has brought the teams at Adobe and Cisco into the light by gaining the CSO50 Award for their compliance framework. Leadership in creating OpsStack has given him a certain reputation in the compliance industry. The work goes beyond Cisco; he is an advisor to the PCI DSS Board of Advisors, which impacts compliance standards worldwide for payment systems.
His leadership through thought culminates in speaking events, such as ISACA’s Asia region conference in 2022 and 2023, with which he speaks about the future of compliance in tech.
The future: Compliance in the age of artificial intelligence
Much waits for Gagandeep: really the next frontier is compliance in the age of Artificial Intelligence. “AI is revolutionizing every sector but also ushers with new challenges pertaining to compliance”, he adds. His ambition is to set the rules of development and deployment with AI on secure grounds yet not so tight as not to create barriers for innovators.
Educate the next generation: He is also committed to education
His articles, and blogs such as on Cisco’s site, and public speaking demystify compliance for both the tech professional and the business leader, helping foster a community that knows the value of proactive security. The Imperative of Modern Compliance Underlining Gagandeep’s work are robust compliance programs that feature in the digital age of today, with reputations and significant financial losses that may be taken away by data or security breaches. His approach is not only aligned with meeting today’s standards but also preparing for future standards, ensuring companies are ahead of changes in regulatory as well as cyber threats.
His career was an excellent working model that showed that compliance can indeed be a strategic strength by turning weakness into pillar strength that develops business growth and expansion at the global level. In summary, Gagandeep Singh Chaudhry’s contribution is much more than the protection of data and associated business opportunities in a digitalized world. His story is one of vision, leadership, and commitment toward making the world easier to navigate digitally by innovative compliance mechanisms.
Featured image credit: Emre Çıtak/Ideogram AI
