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 a 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 that.
It is about to roll out certified courses in 12 different aspects of security.
From January 2016, about 15 engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will start certified courses, supported by Nasscom.
Recognising the acute shortage of skilled professionals in the country, the council has set a target to produce one million cyber security experts by 2025 to meet the demand from 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.
Pilot in AP & Telangana
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.
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 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.
Cyber security challenges
Nasscom, which had been assigned to prepare a report on the challenges it faced on the cyber front, will complete it in 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,” Saravade said.
With cyber attacks becoming more 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 moot the idea with the government and impress upon it the importance of having such skilled manpower.