Check Point – Dr. Dorit Dor
Dr. Dorit Dor
Chief Product Officer at Check Point Software Technologies
Cyber threats have been on the rise in recent years, leading to attacks on governments, companies, private individuals as well as on critical infrastructures and services. We discussed with Dr. Dorit Dor how the cybersecurity space has changed in recent years, what role it plays in the current geopolitical context and what developments she sees in the market. Dr. Dor is a world leading expert in cyber and has been serving as Chief Product Office at Check Point Software Technologies for more than 25 years. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum. Dr. Dor holds a Ph.D. and M.S. degree in computer science from Tel-Aviv University.
Please note that the views expressed in this interview are made by the individual and not on behalf of Rothschild & Co. This interviewed was conducted by Laura Künlen, Investment Insights and William Therlin, Investment & Portfolio Advisory.
Q1
Dr. Dor, for our readers- how did you get into cybersecurity and what is your motivation behind innovating every day?
Already as a child I had a deep appreciation and love for mathematics and computer sciences. Back then we didn't have a computer at home, but I was lucky enough to get some early exposure to them. I have also always enjoyed solving riddles and cyber for me is exactly that: an "adversary" against whom you have to win. So even though as a child I obviously didn't call it cyber, I have always had the passion for its ingredients: math, computer science and riddles. After my Computer Science studies at Tel Aviv university, I joined the army for 8 years where I worked in the cybersecurity department. This increased my interest and passion for the topic. Afterwards, I started my career at a company that operates in that sector, Check Point. So, it wasn’t the case that I always knew that I wanted to work in cyber, but I had the right ingredients personality-wise that eventually led to it. These are the same ingredients that motivate me to this day.
Some background
Cybersecurity refers to measures taken to protect Internet-connected devices, networks, and data from unauthorized access and criminal use. Additionally, cybersecurity ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data over its entire life cycle.
Check Point Software Technologies was established in Ramat Gan, Israel in 1993. It is an American-Israeli multinational provider of software and combined hardware and software products for IT security. It has around 6,000 employees and offices in over 70 locations worldwide.