Nasscom targets to create 1 m cyber security HR

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/national/telangana-police-planning-separate-cadre-for-cyber-security/article7640827.ece

In a pilot in AP and Telangana, will offer 12 courses in the space to engineering students

Hyderabad, Sept. 11:  

Cyber security has never really been popular as a specialisation in the Indian IT industry. This segment has failed to catch the imagination of job seekers in the absence of proper appreciation for aspects related to IT security.

The Data Security Council of India (DSCI), an arm of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), is hoping to change this.

It is about to roll out certified courses in 12 different aspects of security.

From January 2016, some 15 engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will offer certified courses, supported by Nasscom.

Recognising the acute shortage of skilled professionals in the country, the council has set a target of producing one million cyber security experts by 2025 to meet the demand from the industry.

“We are currently finalising the courseware and the duration of the course. This is going to be an elective,” Vinayak Godse, Senior Director (Data Protection), told BusinessLine.

The DSCI is planning to scale this up to hundreds of colleges across the country after studying the feedback from the pilot in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

400 qualification packages

Nasscom has identified over 400 qualification packages (QPs) for a cross-section of job roles in the IT and BPO industries. “In the security area, we have identified 12 job roles such as app security and network security. We are planning to train about 1,000 students to begin with,” said Nandkumar Saravade, DSCI Chief Executive Officer.

Nasscom, which has been tasked with preparing a report on the challenges on the cyber front, will complete it by October. “It will cover the aspects of skills, industry requirements, policy changes and technology development to bolster security. We will submit the report next month,” he said. With cyber attacks becoming complex and intense, the Telangana police are planning to raise a separate cadre to help cyber sleuths in the State.

DGP Anurag Sharma told BusinessLine that the police department would put the idea before the government and impress upon it the importance of having such skilled manpower.

(This article was published in Business Line (businessline.in)on September 11, 2015)