Junaid Islam

About

Junaid Islam is a globally recognized secure communications expert with over 37 years in cybersecurity and networking, serving as a founding member of the Smart Cities Council Advisory Board—established in recent years alongside leaders like Mark Messow and Andrew Downs—to guide ethical, transparent, and values-driven initiatives for sustainable, equitable digital urban ecosystems worldwide. A serial entrepreneur and protocol innovator, he founded Vidder (acquired by Verizon for Zero Trust in 5G), Bivio Networks, and contributed to standards like Frame Relay, ATM, MPLS, Mobile IPv6 (inducted into IPv6 Hall of Fame), and Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) at Cloud Security Alliance, while developing interference-aware routing for NASA's Artemis lunar missions and advising on AI-driven Zero Trust for smart infrastructure. Beginning his career in 1989 with secure networks for U.S. counter-narcotics and Desert Shield operations, then architecting at StrataCom and Cisco, Islam now partners at OODA LLC, speaks at forums like IEEE VCC and Smart Cities events, and advocates for robust cybersecurity in hyper-connected cities amid rising AI and IoT threats through podcasts, panels, and active commentary on emerging tech risks.