An innovator finds an opportunity in the smallest need of mankind and by using his ingenuity finds a way to fulfil it. And few could fit into the mould of those innovators than Jay Chaudhry, Executive Chairman and founder, Airdefense, who has carved a niche for himself as a trendsetter in the security industry. He is among the few who have spearheaded an initiative to capture business opportunities while addressing customer needs - all for improved information security. With a track record of 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and engineering companies such as IBM, NCR and Unisys, Chaudhry has been instrumental in launching several successful entrepreneurial companies in a very short span of time.

An MS in computer engineering and industrial engineering, Chaudhry who did his MBA from the University of Cincinnati has been hailed for his path-breaking initiatives in areas related to security and technology. A man who believes that each day is a learning experience; Chaudhry did his executive management programs from Harvard and Wharton Business School only to practise those principles in real-life situations. In fact, he was the main force behind initiating several programmes while serving as senior vice-president of worldwide marketing at IQ Software, a public company that specialized in database reporting tools. It was in 1997 that Chaudhry founded SecureIT, the first pure-play Internet security services company to experience exponential revenue growth. VeriSign acquired a self funded company of more than 60 employees, SecureIT in July 1998. After serving as vice-president and general manager of the Security Services Division at VeriSign, Jay went on to co-found and launch several successful start-up technology companies.

This apart, Chaudhry started a number of industry-renowned companies, including Air2Web, a developer of the leading mobile Internet platform, and CoreHarbor. In 2000, he founded CipherTrust, provider of the industry's first security appliance for e-mail systems. In 2001, Chaudhry became the co-founder and executive chairman of AirDefense, the innovator and market leader in "anywhere anytime wirelesses security". The company provides a complete suite of solutions that secure wireless networks and protect the extended mobile enterprise against all threats and attacks.

Not only this, AirDefense provides protection for all protocols and enterprises and is a key element of wireless LAN security. It complements wireless VPNs, encryption and authentication. And all these achievements, of merging technology with the security needs, have been largely possible as a result of Chaudhry's innovative ideas. Today, AirDefense Enterprise, the company's flagship product has become a wireless intrusion prevention system that monitors the airwaves 24x7 and provides the most advanced solution for rogue detection and mitigation, intrusion detection, policy monitoring and compliance. Known as a launch specialist who has enabled several innovative products see the light of the day, Chaudhry has been featured in "Atlanta's Top 50 Names to Know" by the Catalyst magazine. With a person like Chaudhry, who has dollops of grit, gumption and out of box thinking capabilities, there are many more creative ideas waiting to happen.