NASSCOM Partners with Symantec for building cyber security skills in India

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Symantec, the global leader in cyber security, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for "Building Cyber Security Skills", an initiative to develop world-class skilled and certified professionals. The MoU was signed in the presence of R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM and Michael A. Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Symantec.

The development is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call at NASSCOM's silver jubilee in March 2015 to focus on global cyber security challenges. Sector Skill Council (SSC) NASSCOM and DSCI along with Symantec will focus on developing five prioritized job roles in cyber security along with a master training program. Additionally, the program also intends to fund the scholarship for 1000 women undertaking the cyber security certification by NASSCOM.

R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM while talking about the MoU said, "This is a positive step towards our objective to address the cyber security issue at large. This partnership will enable the industry to map existing and future skills requirements and plug its demand-supply gap. The program will also focus on developing pioneering models for scaling capacity and enhancing employability through assessments and certifications. We would like to thank Symantec for coming forward for this crucial initiative."

NASSCOM had set up Data Security Council of India (DSCI) way back in 2008, proving its foresightedness and leadership in cyber security by recognizing the need of setting up an independent organization. DSCI has been instrumental in taking several initiatives in developing capability, and has been actively involved in developing and executing a framework for Cyber Security Skills.

With the rise of Internet related crimes, cyber security has become an area of focus for NASSCOM and its member organizations, and the association has launched several initiatives to promote data protection, security, privacy codes and standards. Also, the role of security professionals over the years has undergone major transformation, leading to a sharp rise in the need for a larger and more dynamic cyber security workforce. The demand for the workforce is expected to rise to 6 million (globally) by 2019, with projected shortfall of 1.5 million. Symantec and NASSCOM have collectively decided to address this issue. This initiative also aims to facilitate internships and placement of the certified candidates.

Talking about Symantec's association with NASSCOM, Michael A. Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer, Symantec said, "With the rise in targeted attacks aimed at Indian enterprises and consumers, cyber security has become more important than ever before. As a leader in cyber security, Symantec is deeply committed to addressing the workforce skills gap in this area. With the partnership with NASSCOM, we are taking the first big step towards building cyber security skills in India. The initiative will also facilitate internships and placement of certified candidates, and is an extension in India of the Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3), a program launched last year to attract and train young adults and women in the field of cyber security."

With the global IT Security market estimated to be USD 77 billion in 2015 and grow at over 8% annually, NASSCOM has been actively working towards building capacity for the sector. Recently, NASSCOM and Data Security Council of India (DSCI) launched the NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force to help build India as a global hub for providing cyber security solutions, developing cyber security R&D plan and developing a skilled workforce of cyber security experts.