Manoj Srivastava is Chief Technology and Product Officer at Blackpoint, a cybersecurity leader in managed detection and response, where he leads the technology, product management and product marketing functions. Manoj has been in the cybersecurity space for over 20 years in various executive and leadership positions at privately and publicly traded companies focused on building cybersecurity and networking solutions for small to large enterprises. Prior to Blackpoint, he was at Tenable, Inc, a cyber exposure management company where he was most recently Deputy CTO responsible for shaping the technology vision and product strategy of Tenable’s product portfolio. Prior to that, he was at CA, Inc where he held key engineering roles building network forensics, and network infrastructure management solutions.
Manoj is a member and has served as Chair of the Modernize Maryland Oversight Commission representing the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. He is a Boardroom Certified Qualified Technology Expert for corporate governance and governing systemic risk in complex digital systems. Manoj is passionate about increasing diversity in technical sectors. He holds a Masters in Computer Networking from NC State University and a Bachelors in Electronics and Communication from Bangalore, India.
Connect with Manoj on LinkedIn
Interview questions:
Introduction |Can you provide an introduction to Blackpoint Cyber?
Responsibilities | As Chief Technology and Product Officer, what are your responsibilities?
New Category |Blackpoint has created an entirely new category called “Unified Security Posture.” Can you explain what this means and why traditional approaches to cybersecurity integration aren’t solving the problem?
Fragmentation | The cybersecurity landscape seems more fragmented than ever, with businesses managing dozens of security tools. From a business leadership perspective, what’s the real cost of this fragmentation beyond technology spending?
IT Questions | You’ve mentioned that for every on-premises attack detected, there are 30 unnoticed cloud environment attacks. For executives who thought they were well-protected with best-of-breed security tools, what should they ask their IT teams right now?
Nation-State Actors | We’re seeing nation-state actors specifically target the gaps between security tools. How should business leaders think about this threat differently than traditional cybercrime, and what does this mean for companies that consider themselves “too small” to be targets?
Vulnerabilities |The concept of a “backdoor tax” suggests that organizations are unknowingly funding their own vulnerabilities. What questions should executives be asking their security vendors to ensure they’re not paying for solutions that actually increase their risk?
Fragmentation |Your research shows that organizations with fragmented security approaches face 40% longer breach detection times and 60% higher operational costs. For a mid-sized business, what does this translate to in real dollars and business impact?
Business Model | As Chief Technology and Product Officer, you’ve positioned Blackpoint as solving problems that MSPs face in managing security for multiple clients. How does this business model change the economics of cybersecurity for both service providers and their customers?
Future |Looking ahead, where do you see the cybersecurity industry heading? Will businesses rethink their approach to security infrastructure completely, or can existing investments be salvaged through unified platforms?
Background |Coming from Tenable with a background in proactive vulnerability management, what drew you to Blackpoint’s reactive MDR approach? How has that informed your vision for bridging proactive and reactive security?
Patterns | With 15,000 tenants currently on Blackpoint’s platform, what patterns are you seeing in how different MSPs approach unified security posture management?
Logic |The platform includes patented detection technology. Can you explain how your detection logic differs from traditional signature-based approaches?
Security Challenges | Cloud Posture Management is a major component of CompassOne. How are you addressing the specific security challenges in Microsoft 365 environments?
MSP Market | Since joining Blackpoint about a year ago, what has surprised you most about the MSP market and its security challenges?
Success Story | Can you share the success story of an MSP that successfully implemented CompassOne and transformed its client relationships?
Advice | What advice would you give MSPs considering consolidating their security stack or maintaining best-of-breed point solutions?
Mission | What should our readers know about Blackpoint Cyber’s mission and how CompassOne fits into the company’s long-term vision?
Blackpoint Cyber is redefining how businesses prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from modern threats, delivering outcomes, not just alerts, and now bringing that same approach to CompassOne, our award-winning Unified Security Posture and Response platform.
Backed by a 24/7 human-led Security Operations Center (SOC), we don’t just notify you of threats—we take action. Whether you’re an MSP securing clients at scale or an internal security team defending your organization, Blackpoint adapts to your needs, simplifying security without compromise.
Founded by former NSA cybersecurity experts and led by elite industry professionals, Blackpoint brings proven offensive and defensive expertise to every layer of protection. With relentless innovation and a partner-first approach, Blackpoint Cyber ensures businesses stay secure, resilient, and ready to win the unfair fight.
For more information about Blackpoint Cyber, visit www.blackpointcyber.com.
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