S9 Bonus: Alon Arvatz, Pointfive & Author of Battle for Your Computer
Apr 11, 2024
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Alon Arvatz, Co-founder and CEO of Pointfive and author of "The Battle for Your Computer," shares his journey from a military career to the heart of Israel's cybersecurity sector. He discusses the challenges of cloud cost management, driven by a passion for efficiency. Alon emphasizes collaboration with his wife in both family and business, and delves into building a strong team culture. He provides insights on creating a Minimum Integratable Product for customer feedback, as well as lessons on entrepreneurship and the importance of storytelling in tech.
Alon Arvatz emphasizes the importance of starting with a Minimum Integratable Product to gather valuable customer feedback and understand market needs.
The discussion covers the critical need for robust authorization services in software development, highlighting solutions like Permit.io to streamline application permissions.
Deep dives
Innovative Authorization Solutions
The discussion highlights the significance of robust authorization services in software development. A relationship-based, fine-grained authorization system was designed for high security, utilizing efficient hardware like a GPU setup. This advanced system improves performance markedly, yet quicker alternatives, such as Permit.io, are also available that streamline building permissions for applications. Permit.io offers an all-encompassing platform to effectively manage permissions via policy as code, emphasizing ease of integration and rapid deployment.
Strategic Product Development
The concept of starting with a Minimum Integratable Product (MIP) rather than a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is emphasized as a strategic approach to product development. By focusing on integrating a basic service within customer environments, valuable feedback can be gathered before fully developing complex functionalities. This method allowed the team to better understand customer needs and produce reports that inform future product iterations. Engaging with customers early in the process helps ensure that the final product directly addresses market demands.
Challenges in Managing Cloud Costs
The experiences gained in managing substantial cloud costs during prior ventures underscored their importance in guiding the formation of Point5. The challenges faced with large-scale cloud spend, observed firsthand, necessitated a focus on operational efficiency and frugality. This understanding provided a foundational motivation to develop solutions that empower organizations to optimize their cloud expenditures. Insights gained highlighted the need to bridge communication between technical teams and finance, which became a core focus for the startup.
Team Building and Company Culture
When forming the team for Point5, the emphasis was placed on selecting individuals with proven expertise and a hunger for success within a startup environment. Previous collaborations were leveraged to assemble a core group of skilled professionals who understood the vision of the company. A strong cultural foundation emphasizing humility and teamwork was prioritized to foster collaboration and adaptability as the company grows. This intentional hiring process aims not only to fill roles but to build a cohesive team committed to mutual success.
Alon Arvatz has been in tech for a long time. Fun fact, he loved technology but hated computer science. After getting introduced to the industry by his father, he discovered that tech is not just computer science - which was a big relief. He is the author of a book called The Battle for your Computer, which highlights Israel and the growth of the global cybersecurity industry. Outside of tech and cybersecurity, he is married with 4 kids, and highlights that all things in life - family, startup, etc. - is a partnership between he and his wife. Their family is a big fan of history, and looks to learn the stories of the places they visit.
Through his time in the military, Alon was exposed to the difficulties of managing cloud cost. Alongside his 15 years in cybersecurity, and writing his book on the topic, he figured out that a focus on efficiency could help businesses with their cloud costs - starting with a minimum integrate-able product.