As a leader in cybersecurity, Paul Hadjy - CEO at Horangi illustrates how remote work can successfully transform traditional business models. Established in 2015, Horangi initially began with cloud security in Asia. Remote work quickly became essential, especially as the company expanded, evolving into a fully distributed workforce model.
Paul reflects on his own experience, managing teams remotely for companies like Grab and Pounder, which shaped his approach to Horangi’s operations. His current roles at Horangi and BitDefender highlight a seamless integration of remote and office-based work.
The biggest obstacle is communication. With remote teams, responsiveness is critical. It’s essential to know that people are engaged.
Here is the transcript of our conversation:
Yuying Deng
Hi everyone. Welcome to Scaling Today, the podcast where we explore how companies scale and the future of work. I’m your host, Yuying Deng, and today we have a fascinating episode lined up for you. Our guest today is Paul, the CEO and co-founder of Horangi, and also the VP of APAC for Bitdefender. Both companies are leaders in the cybersecurity space.
Paul and I go way back, at least a couple of years, to the founding of ASL, where Horangi was one of our first customers. So, Paul, thank you very much for your confidence in us at that stage. Today, Paul is here to share his insights on remote work. He has remote team members in various parts of APAC, so he’s really the perfect person to discuss this topic. I’m excited to dive into Paul’s unique approach towards remote work. Welcome to the show, Paul! Would you like to say a few words to our audience?
Paul Hadjy
Yeah, thanks for having me. I’m excited to be here and talk a bit about this. It’s been a passion of mine to figure this out over the past couple of years, so I look forward to discussing it and hopefully adding some value.
Yuying Deng
Fantastic! To kick things off, could you tell us about your background and how you got started with Horangi?
Paul Hadjy
My background—I’m the co-founder of Horangi, which we started in 2015. We built the company to address the cloud security needs in Asia. Before Horangi, I worked for the U.S. government and then moved to a company called Palantir, where I spent seven years traveling the globe. Much of that time was remote because there wasn’t a physical office in many of the locations I worked. Eventually, I ended up in Singapore and worked for Grab, leading the security team and tackling the cloud security problem. This was back in 2016 when cloud technology was still relatively new. Given my experience, I saw an opportunity to start a business around cloud security.
When we started Horangi, I was splitting my time between Singapore and the rest of Southeast Asia. My CTO was splitting his time between the U.S. and Southeast Asia. So, from the beginning, we had a remote aspect to our company. Originally, we had offices in Singapore and India, where people came in most of the time, but during COVID, we went fully distributed. After seeing that the company could still operate effectively, we decided not to require people to return to the office post-COVID. We took advantage of this by reducing office space and hiring more broadly across different regions.
Yuying Deng
You mentioned you’re now part of Bitdefender, which is a larger company. Can you tell us about Bitdefender’s size and how it manages to operate with a distributed workforce?
Paul Hadjy
Yes, Bitdefender acquired Horangi last year. Bitdefender has around 2,000 people, including Horangi’s original team of about 130. Having both companies already accustomed to remote work helped make the transition easier. There are challenges with time zones, but everyone is familiar with using Zoom and other remote tools.
Yuying Deng
For Horangi, COVID was a big factor in going fully remote. What benefits did you see in having a remote or distributed team setup that encouraged you to keep it post-COVID?
Paul Hadjy
There are quite a few benefits. One of the main ones is talent acquisition. Remote work offers flexibility, which is attractive to many job seekers. It also allows us to hire people across different regions, expanding our talent pool. There are benefits for both the employees, who get more flexibility, and the company, which gains access to a larger talent pool.
Yuying Deng
Growing a distributed company comes with its own set of challenges. What are some of the biggest obstacles you’ve faced, and how have you managed to overcome them?
Paul Hadjy
The biggest obstacle is communication. With remote teams, responsiveness is critical. We focus on hiring people who are responsive because, without physical proximity, it’s essential to know that people are engaged. We also invest in tools like Slack and maintain clear documentation. Additionally, fostering spontaneous interactions that would naturally occur in an office setting can be challenging. We tried virtual coffee chats and even virtual games to help bridge that gap. Creating those interactions remotely is tough but achievable with creativity and the right tools.
Yuying Deng
Do you have policies for offsite to help teams connect?
Paul Hadjy
Yes, we provide a quarterly budget for each team to organize events. It’s not cross-company, but teams can use it however they see fit. However, we haven’t done a full company offsite since 2019. That’s something we might invest in again in the future.
Yuying Deng
Creating a strong company culture can be tricky when everyone is remote. How do you keep everyone connected and aligned with your company’s vision?
Paul Hadjy
You need to repeat your message frequently. We have a bi-weekly “State of the Tiger,” where we talk about what’s going on in the business, with each major team giving updates. At the end, we do a fun “Horangi Work Cry” where one person is randomly chosen to shout out “Horangi!” on the screen. It’s a fun way to end the week, and it helps build a sense of unity.
Yuying Deng
Onboarding and offboarding remote team members can be challenging. What’s your process for bringing new team members on board, and how do you handle offboarding, especially regarding IT equipment?
Paul Hadjy
For onboarding, we aim to bring new hires to a local office if possible. We also onboard in cohorts once a month. This way, new hires go through the process with others, which helps them feel part of a team. For offboarding, we handle it remotely when necessary. We use security software to wipe devices, and we ensure accounts are deactivated promptly. Laptops are shipped back, and we have protocols for equipment return and account closure.
Yuying Deng
IT security is a big concern for distributed teams. How do you ensure that your IT environment is secure and compliant?
Paul Hadjy
We rely on our own security software for endpoint protection and use a 24/7 Managed Detection and Response (MDR) to monitor our infrastructure. Security tools like VPNs, endpoint security, and single sign-on are essential. As a security company, we have a higher standard, but these precautions are increasingly important as companies grow.
Yuying Deng
Where do you see the future of remote work going? Do you think traditional companies will adopt more remote work practices?
Paul Hadjy
Yes, I believe remote work is the future. For companies to stay competitive, especially in tech, offering remote work will become essential. While some roles may still require in-office work, many companies will likely continue adopting hybrid models. Remote work provides access to talent and opportunities on a broader scale. It also shifts company management to be more outcome-based rather than time-based. I think we’ll see remote work become more mainstream, with potentially 50% of jobs being remote in the next decade.
Yuying Deng
Today, we’ve learned a lot about Paul’s approach to scaling remote teams and his expertise in IT security. Thank you so much, Paul, for joining us. Where can our listeners find you online?
Paul Hadjy
LinkedIn is the best way to find me. I think I’m the only Paul at Horangi, so I should be easy to find. I’ll share the link with you so you can post it with the episode.
Comments