“When you watch the Airport system working on your logic/program/application, the feeling is an out-of-the-world experience, difficult to describe in words.”
Keshav Dubal, Senior Information Technology Manager, BEUMER India Private Limited
An IT practitioner with 22+ years of work experience, Keshav Dubal is a popular face in the Indian IT industry. Dubal completed his school education at LBdS Public School South Delhi & M.Sc. (IT) from Kuvempu University (KU)-Karnataka, after which he commenced his journey as a passionate teacher and IT trainer.
It was his penchant for coding and solving real-time problems through his programs that motivated him to become a freelancer programmer for nearly three years, after which he happily took the position of Developer at BEUMER. He later moved into projects where Dubal was responsible for overseeing Development & IT installation. Today, he takes great pride in handling the IT department and is responsible for all IT Infrastructure/Digital initiatives and IT projects for his current organization.
In a recent interaction with Digitaltech Media, Keshav Dubal sheds light on his inspiration to join the industry and his future growth plans.
DTM: What drew you to the IT industry?
The world of computers has always fascinated me. After completing my school education, I started learning computers from ET&T and did my PGDCA, wherein I learned about different programming languages. I embarked on my career in IT in 1995 with DOS and Win 3.11 and later moved to programming.
DTM: What is your take on the hurdles one faces on their road to success?
I believe in the adage- “Rome was not built in a day”. There is no shortcut to success, and one must work hard and take one step at a time. We must put 100% into every task assigned to us to overcome the hurdles we face.
DTM: How has the role of tech leaders evolved in the past few years?
IT leaders today have become business enablers. Post Covid-19, organizations and management have started respecting IT leaders even more. The pandemic helped organizations realize the importance of having a Business Continuity Plan, as most enterprises had shifted to the WFH model. The role of IT leadership today has become immensely crucial as their job requires them to understand technologies on a broad spectrum.
DTM: Tell us more about any of your most challenging projects. How did you ensure their timely completion?
One of my most challenging projects was handling the development of the Airport Sortation Control System, Print & Apply for logistic projects. The other one was about the development of the SAC system for airports all alone. During that time, I was only aware of the concept of sortation but did not know what or how to develop it. However, I started working on development and failed several times, never giving up in the process. Eventually, that project was a huge success. When you watch the Airport system working on your logic/program/application, the feeling is an out-of-the-world experience, difficult to describe in words.
DTM: What do you feel has been your success mantra?
I believe in learning from my mistakes. Each failure makes our learning much deeper and enhances our overall experiences. I feel one must keep their team motivated and focused on the primary goal to deliver consistent performance. Teamwork makes the dream work for any organization.
DTM: Your predictions for the cybersecurity market in India.
The Indian Cybersecurity market has grown several folds post Covid. It grew two-folds in terms of size and revenue amid and post pandemic. Digitalization and the growing networking of machines and industrial systems also indicate an increase in the risk of cyberattacks. Cybercriminals and hackers have become more potent by the day, and cybersecurity operations need continuous improvement. The inclusion of AI-based cybersecurity & Automation of Cyber tools will be the key to the future. Complaints about data breaches from cyber companies and hacking attempts, cyber phishing, foreign espionage, etc., are majorly driving the market growth. Increased usage of cloud-based services and storage & sharing of data online is also increasing the demand for cyber security, which will boost the Indian Cyber Security Market in the next five years.
DTM: What about your future growth plans?
My journey so far has been fantastic, full of challenges and tons of hard work. Every day has been a new learning experience in the IT field, and I am yet to reach the pinnacle of success. I would love to handle many more challenging tasks and job roles in the future.
DTM: Do you have any personal goal/aspirations in life? Please elaborate.
I feel one should pursue what they are most excited and passionate about. It is important to remember that while aspirations can be motivating and inspiring, you must not pressure yourself to figure it all out now. Instead, allow yourself time to learn and grow. Try new things and never compare yourself to others, as everyone has their own pace of life. Work on building self-awareness and stay open to change.
DTM: A piece of advice you would give to aspiring tech leaders.
Difficulties will come and go in life but remember we will all become stories in the end. What is bothering you today will not be a matter of concern tomorrow. So accept life as it comes and put your best foot forward.
Thanks for inspiring.