I’m Elena Khasanova, Professional Services Manager at Varonis, and This is How I Work

Prior to Varonis, Elena Khasanova worked in backend IT for large organizations. She did a bit of coding, database administration, project management, but was ready for more responsibility and challenges.

So seven years ago, she made the move to New York City from Madison, Wisconsin and joined the professional services department at Varonis.

With limited experience speaking with external customers and basic training, Varonis entrusted her to deploy products as well as present to customers. Elena recalls, “Not every company will give you a chance to talk to external customers without prior experience….But it was Varonis that gave me that chance.”

According to her manager, Ken Spinner:

Over the last 6 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Elena, first as a coworker in different departments, and most recently as the leader of our Remediation Team in our Professional Services department. Elena was uniquely qualified to lead the team as she had significant experience performing project management prior to planning and completing our first remediation projects. Elena’s knowledge was instrumental in defining the essence of the Varonis Data Risk Assessment, the process used by PS to perform remediation, as well as providing practical insight to Engineering during the development of the Automation Engine. Read on to learn more about Elena – this time, in her own words. What would people never guess you do in your role?

Not only am I involved in professional services, I also spend a lot of time on sales calls.

What did you learn about yourself after working at Varonis?

I am pretty good at selling concepts and ideas.

How has Varonis helped you in your career development?

Prior to Varonis, I only worked in internal IT. Varonis gave me a chance to work with external customers and exposed me to sales and product management.

What advice do you have for prospective candidates?

Pour your heart and soul into Varonis products. If you are smart and hard-working, it will be noticed right away.

What do you like most about the company?

Despite being a publicly traded company, it kept its startup spirit and passion.

What’s the biggest data security problem your customers/prospects are faced with?

Company files are often accessible by every employee regardless of their roles. How can we fix that without someone losing access to work they really need access to?

What certificates do you have?

CISSP and PMP

What is your favorite book?

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

What is your favorite time hack?

I assign values in my to-do list by urgency: important (not always urgent but is important in the long run), speed and reluctance.

Things I’m most reluctant to do, I try to do in the beginning of the day when my willpower is still high.

What’s your favorite quote?

"It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

– by the greatest scientist, Stephen Hawking

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