Shailesh Soni
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Hi, I'm

Shailesh Soni

Forward Deployed PM

A seasoned product management professional with 20+ years of turning real customer problems into products that ship — across AI security, cybersecurity, enterprise SaaS, IoT and mobile at Qualys, Itron, A10 Networks, Cisco, STL and Nimbuzz.

Forward deployedCustomer obsessionProblems → solutionsOutcomes over output
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Shailesh Soni

Director, Product Management

Shailesh Soni

Introduction

I'm a seasoned product management professional with over 20 years of building enterprise SaaS, AI, security and cloud platforms, from early-stage 0→1 products to multi-product portfolios at Qualys, Cisco and Itron. Today I lead AI security and endpoint security products at Qualys, covering AI agent governance, LLM protection, GenAI data protection and Shadow AI discovery.

What drives me is customer obsession, and I practise it as a forward deployed PM: sitting with customers until I understand the real problem, then turning it into a solution teams can build and customers will pay for. I've moved on-premises products to SaaS, built partner and developer ecosystems, and grown ARR through pricing, packaging and platform expansion, working across the full cycle from discovery and strategy to launch, GTM and adoption.

Name: Shailesh Soni
Role: Director, Product Management
Experience: 20+ years
Based in: India
Focus: Forward Deployed PM · AI security
Forward Deployed Product Management

I do my best work in the field, next to the customer.

Forward deployed PMs sit where the problem lives: inside the customer's environment, alongside their teams. I've done this with utilities in the USA and Australia, telcos rolling out WiFi and IoT, and security teams adopting AI, and it's how I shape every product I build.

  • Embed with customersRun discovery on-site, map real workflows and find the pain behind the request.
  • Prototype in days, not quartersUse AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor to build working prototypes with customers.
  • Bridge field and engineeringTurn field signal into crisp requirements and get the fix shipped.
  • Scale what worksConvert one customer's solution into a repeatable product, platform or playbook.
0+Years in product management
0%ARR growth via platform ecosystem
0+Products launched from 0→1
0+Cross-functional team built

How I work

01

Customer obsession

I hear customers first-hand every week and bring engineers and designers along, so the whole team builds from real pain, not assumptions.

02

Problems into solutions

I turn vague complaints into crisp problem statements, then into the smallest solution that makes a customer's week measurably better.

03

Outcomes over output

Success is time saved, risk reduced and revenue grown — metrics customers would put in their own reviews, not feature counts.

04

Teams that ship

Clear context, owned decisions and protected focus. I build PM teams with strong judgement, then get out of their way.

In the PM community

Institute of Product Leadership guest speaker badge
Sharing real-world product management practice with aspiring and practising product leaders.
Guest SpeakerInstitute of Product Leadership
Working with product cohorts on customer-centric value propositions — turning a customer problem into a pitch that holds up.
Institute of Product Leadership logo
Product cohort sessionsInstitute of Product Leadership
Mentored early-stage startups through a six-month accelerator cohort, from customer discovery to go-to-market.
Cisco logo
Startup Mentor · LaunchPad 2018 cohortCisco LaunchPad
1:1 conversations with PMs on career moves, interview prep and product strategy.
PM mentoringtopmate.io/pmlens
Notes from the field on product management, AI and security, shared with the wider product community.
Writing on LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/sonishailesh

Where I add value

Forward Deployed PM

Embedded with customers to discover real problems, prototype fast with AI tools and ship solutions that scale into products.

AI Security & Governance

AI agent monitoring, MCP visibility, LLM protection against prompt injection and jailbreaks, GenAI data loss prevention and Shadow AI discovery.

Enterprise SaaS Platforms

Multi-tenant SaaS, on-prem to cloud transformation, SDKs, app marketplaces and partner ecosystems that compound ARR.

Product Strategy & GTM

Vision, roadmap and prioritisation, pricing and packaging, launch execution and post-launch adoption with sales and success teams.

Cybersecurity Products

Endpoint security, EDR, vulnerability management, exploit validation, CTEM, PCI DSS, threat intelligence and DDoS defence.

IoT, Wireless & Mobile

Smart grid platforms, location analytics, enterprise WiFi, messaging and VoIP, mobile apps, games and mobile advertising.

Experience

Director, Product Management

IndiaFull Time

Qualys, Inc.

AI Security, Endpoint Security, EDR, PCI DSS and CTEM portfolio.

  • Own strategy and roadmap for Qualys' AI security portfolio: AI asset discovery, AI and agent inventory, and continuous AI risk posture across the enterprise.
  • Shipped browser-based GenAI data protection and Shadow AI discovery, with policy-based guardrails and inline user coaching.
  • Built AgentGuard, AI agent runtime security for endpoints — Winner, Qualys PM Hackathon
  • Scaled new capabilities including TruConfirm exploit validation and peer-to-peer patch management. Lead and mentor a team of Product Managers and SMEs.
AgentGuard · Hackathon WinnerTruConfirmCloud AgentEDRCTEMPCI DSSOWASP LLM Top 10NIST AI RMFEU AI Act

Senior Product Manager

BangaloreFull Time

Itron Inc.

Spearheaded the Distributed Intelligence platform ecosystem (SDKs, smart meter apps and an app store) supporting 10+ smart grid use cases. The SaaS Smart Meter as a Service platform cut app development and testing time by 60%, and onboarding 20+ partners and developers contributed to 230% ARR growth. Worked with utilities in the USA and Australia on location awareness, theft detection and DER monitoring.

Associate Director, Product Management

PuneFull Time

Incedo Inc. — A10 Networks

Launched a SaaS threat intelligence platform with 360° visibility into DDoS attacks, generating pull-through ARR for A10 security products within the first year. Owned roadmap and GTM execution and shortened time-to-market for advanced threat detection.

Senior Product Manager

PuneFull Time

STL (Sterlite Technologies)

SaaS platforms for WiFi and IoT. Delivered a 35% increase in WiFi adoption through Intelligent WiFi Offload and Analytics, reducing LTE CAPEX and OPEX for telcos. Launched cloud-managed Network Access Control for wired and wireless devices, and moved on-premises products to SaaS for global deployments.

Product Manager, Wireless & IoT

BangaloreFull Time

Cisco

Developed and launched a SaaS IoT platform for asset tracking within Cisco location analytics (DNA Spaces), expanding the portfolio and increasing bookings. Led GDPR readiness for the cloud analytics platform, and product innovation on CMX 3375 on-premises hardware.

Shailesh Soni presenting at Cisco

Senior Product Manager

GurgaonFull Time

Nimbuzz — Messenger, VoIP & Enterprise WiFi

Built and launched the enterprise WiFi platform for SMBs, scaling MRR to $1M+ within four months. Worked with Facebook, Cisco and Ericsson on initiatives that contributed to strong investor interest and a $250M acquisition. Lifted engagement 45% with chatrooms and business chatbots, and partnered with Nokia and Microsoft to pre-install Nimbuzz on 1M+ devices.

Senior Product Manager

IndoreFull Time

Astute Systems Technology

Developed and managed 40+ mobile apps and games, including Live TV and Video on Demand for ESPN, Hungama, LG and Tata Docomo, the m-AdCalls mobile advertising platform and devotional apps. Grew the organisation to 150+ people, managed a multi-million dollar P&L, and built a cloud preschool app that was a finalist for the AT&T USA Developer Award.

Education & skills

Executive Education

Accelerated General Management Program

IIM Ahmedabad

Professional Certification

ICPM in Product Management & Marketing

Institute of Product Leadership

Post Graduate

MSc in Information Technology

PTU

Undergraduate

Bachelor's in E-Commerce

GGSIPU

Certifications

  • Lead with Impact, Leadership ProgramAON
  • Certified Scrum Master (CSM)Scrum Alliance
  • AWS Solutions Architect – AssociateAmazon Web Services
  • Microsoft Azure FundamentalsMicrosoft
  • Google Analytics CertificationGoogle
Shailesh Soni presenting at IIM Ahmedabad
AI & GenAI Products
AI Agents, MCP & Evaluation
AI Security & Governance
Customer Discovery & Problem Framing
Product Strategy & Roadmap
Enterprise SaaS Platforms
GTM, Pricing & Packaging

Tools & technologies

AI & automationWhere most of my building happens today
AI skills
AI agents & MCPLLM evaluationPrompt & context designRAG & groundingAI security (OWASP LLM)AI governance (NIST AI RMF, EU AI Act)
Tools
Claude CodeClaude DesignCursorCodexGeminiPerplexityReplitn8n
Product & designPlanning, roadmaps and prototypes
Aha!JiraConfluenceMiroFigmaBalsamiqCanvaKanban Flow
TechnicalHands-on foundations
AWSAzureCore JavaAndroidMySQLHTML

Products I've worked on

Company products and platforms I've led or shaped as a product manager.

QualysTruConfirm
Qualys · Exploit Validation · CTEM

Qualys TruConfirm — prove which vulnerabilities are really exploitable

Cloud Agent-based exploit validation that confirms exploitability on the asset itself, with evidence, so teams fix what truly matters first.

Visit product page
Qualys PM Hackathon Winner
QualysAgentGuard
Qualys · PM Hackathon Winner · AI Agent Runtime Security

AgentGuard — see, govern and stop risky AI agent actions on endpoints

OS-level AI agent sensor with MCP call-graph visibility, agent identity and real-time behavioural blocking, with an audit trail for AI regulation.

View details
QualysCloud Agent
Qualys · Endpoint Security Platform

Qualys Cloud Agent — EDR, PCI DSS, CTEM and patching on one agent

Multi-product endpoint security portfolio delivered through a single lightweight agent, including peer-to-peer patch management.

Visit product page
A10 NetworksThreat Defend
2021 – 2023 · A10 Networks · Threat Intelligence

A10 Threat Defend — SaaS threat intelligence for DDoS

360° visibility into DDoS attacks as a SaaS platform, generating pull-through ARR for A10 security product lines in year one.

Visit product page
ItronDistributed Intelligence
2023 – 2024 · Itron · Smart Grid Platform

Itron Distributed Intelligence — apps and an app store for smart meters

SDKs, smart meter apps and an app store for 10+ grid use cases; 20+ partners onboarded and 230% ARR growth.

Visit product page
CiscoCisco Spaces
2017 – 2018 · Cisco · Location Analytics & IoT

Cisco Spaces — WiFi location analytics and IoT asset tracking

SaaS IoT platform for asset tracking on top of enterprise WiFi, with GDPR-ready cloud analytics for B2B customers.

Visit product page
STLEnterprise WiFi & IoT
2018 – 2021 · STL · WiFi, IoT & NAC

Enterprise WiFi, Offload Analytics & Cloud NAC

Intelligent WiFi offload and analytics (+35% adoption) and cloud-managed network access control, moved from on-prem to SaaS.

Visit product page
NimbuzzMessenger & VoIP
2012 – 2017 · Nimbuzz · Messaging, VoIP & WiFi

Nimbuzz Instant Messenger, VoIP & Enterprise WiFi

Chatrooms and business chatbots (+45% engagement), 1M+ device pre-installs, and an SMB WiFi platform that reached $1M+ MRR in four months.

Visit product page
Astute Systemsm-AdCalls
Astute Systems · Mobile Advertising

m-AdCalls — mobile advertising platform

Mobile ad network built for operators and brands, including the Tata Docomo mobile advertising network.

Visit product page
Astute SystemsMobile Apps & Games
2003 – 2012 · astutesystemstech.com

40+ mobile apps and games for ESPN, Hungama, LG and Tata Docomo

Live TV, video on demand, music and cricket apps, plus casual and branded mobile games.

Visit product page
Astute SystemsDevotional Apps
Astute Systems · Content Apps

Devotional mobile apps for everyday spiritual content

Content-led mobile apps bringing devotional audio, prayers and daily content to mobile audiences across feature phones and smartphones.

Visit product page

Writing

Notes on startups, product management, leadership, AI and security.

A startup team working together around laptopsStartups
06 OCT 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 6 MIN READ

Validate before you build: 20 conversations beat 20,000 lines of code

Most startups don't die from bad engineering. They die from building something nobody needed badly enough to pay for.
Two colleagues in a customer conversationProduct Management
22 SEP 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 5 MIN READ

Customer obsession is a practice, not a slogan

Every company says it is customer-obsessed. The ones that mean it have rituals that make it hard to forget the customer.
A product manager mapping a problem on a whiteboardProduct Management
08 SEP 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 6 MIN READ

From problem to product: turning messy customer pain into a crisp solution

The hardest part of product management isn't the roadmap. It's converting a vague, emotional complaint into a problem a team can solve.
A leader presenting to a product teamLeadership
25 AUG 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 5 MIN READ

Leading product managers: hire for judgement, coach for clarity

What I've learned leading PM teams: the job isn't to have the answers, it's to raise the quality of every decision the team makes.
A circuit board with a brain illustration representing AIAI
11 AUG 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 7 MIN READ

Shipping AI features customers actually trust

Demos are easy. Trust is hard. Grounding, evaluation and honest UX are what turn an impressive AI demo into a product people rely on.
A padlock resting on a computer keyboardSecurity
28 JUL 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 6 MIN READ

Securing AI in the enterprise: what CISOs ask first

AI adoption is outpacing AI governance. Here are the questions security leaders are asking, and what good answers look like.
3D render of a cloud computing conceptSaaS
14 JUL 2026 · BY SHAILESH SONI · 6 MIN READ

On-prem to SaaS: lessons from leading platform migrations

Moving a product to the cloud is not a hosting change. It's a business model, operations and customer-relationship change all at once.
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Love talking product management, AI security, startups and the craft of turning customer problems into products people rely on. Say hello, share an idea or a challenge you're working through.

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