India does not have enough skilled engineers to protect vital assets like power grids, telecom networks, banks, and government systems from cyber attackers. These attackers have become more advanced with the use of artificial intelligence (AI).
India Faces Deep Security Talent Crunch
Industry stakeholders and analysts that Mint spoke with said India has around 350,000 professionals working in cybersecurity across various roles. In comparison, the country needs one million engineers, according to data from staffing firms Adecco and Quess IT Staffing.
This shortage has persisted, as demand for cybersecurity engineers continues to rise. The India had nearly 300,000 engineers focused on cybersecurity. The pool of such professionals has grown slowly due to increasing opportunities and rising salaries. However, the growth rate has not been fast enough to meet industry needs.
Country need to focus on cybersecurity now
“The threat gap is real and is a key concern for businesses since cyber attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. At the heart of this issue is that AI is enabling attackers to automate many cyber threats, while cyber defense remains mostly reactive,” said Aditya Verma, former director of transformation and cybersecurity at the Indian Navy and leader of public sector security for India and South Asia at Cisco, a US technology company that produces networking and cybersecurity equipment.
India needs to treat cybersecurity like other security sectors. There should be a dedicated cyber cadre that receives state-level training from the ground up, Verma said.
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