INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
IBM has been working with universities to get the necessary manpower for its the business.
Global technology major IBM has said there is a massive shortage of cyber security
professionals in the country, urging young graduates to look this segment, which is a high-margin segment for companies, as a lucrative
The company, which looks at India both as a market as well as a talent pool to serve the global markets on cyber security, said a whopping 3
million cyber security professionals are required in the country but the supply is not even 1 lakh now, said Kartik Shahahni, integrated
security leader for IBM India and South Asia."Can I find people, yes I can
But can I find enough number of people There is obviously an opportunity for more number of people than we actually have now," Ananda K
Vaideeswaran, director and global integrated leader, chipped in saying.Shahahni explained that security solutions currently contributes in
"double-digit percentages" to IBM India's revenue at present, whereas its share of the total staff is much smaller.Stating that the cyber
security professionals are "more productive" as it is a margin accretive vertical, he said, "the amount of revenue a security professional
information technology sector from a workforce intake perspective
As more and more tasks get automated with the advent of newer technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, fewer
number of people are required by the $160 billion domestic IT sector to do the same work compared to the past when the industry was one of
the leading job creators absorbing millions annually.The IBM executives declined to give a clear answer whether cyber security can emerge as
a much-needed succour from an employability perspective, but explained that different skillsets and approaches are required for grabbing
such jobs.Vaideeswaran said there is a need for changes from the school and graduation level to the post-graduate level, which will help the
industry get the right kind of people.For those who do look at cyber security, there is a need to look beyond ethical hacking, he said,
adding this branch represents only 5 per cent of the security needs."Not enough youngsters look at cyber security as a job opportunity
That is probably an area where we can do a lot as an industry," he said.He said IBM has been working with universities and tech schools to
get the necessary manpower for its the business, and also works with the Data Security Council of India and industry lobby Nasscom on the
same front.IBM India has tied up with Mody University of Science Technology, Rajasthan, Dehradun Institute of Technology, Chandigarh
University and Geethanjali College of Engineering Technology, Hyderabad amongst others, a company spokesperson said.(This story has not
been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
