Cybersecurity Jobs Now at Premium as India Goes DigitalCybersecurity poses new challenges every minute and to deal with them, curricula need to go through a shift by placing the talents in the right hands

India is primed to witness a bracing change as the Indian government has successively dipped their toes into the digital stream. The programme to turn the country into a digital economy has been met with a great deal of buzz as initiatives such as Digital Locker, demonetization and the successive promotion of digital wallet have opened the floodgates to endless possibilities. This is triggering a fresh wave of economic growth, attracting more investment, and creating new jobs across multiple sectors.

Yet with the entire boon comes a great price as it poses a big challenge in cybersecurity. As we all know, cybersecurity in India has nothing to boast about and this move towards a digital economy can aggravate the situation further. An increasing amount of consumer and citizen data will be stored digitally and a large number of transactions will be carried out online, leaving the net a cesspool of viable data for malicious people to attack.

Cybercriminals are not only targeting big corporate houses; government agencies, banks, and research institutes are also in a constant deadlock with hacking and spying frequently. This calls for a more robust framework for cybersecurity, something that the information technology (IT) security market is trying to facilitate rising. This space is a lucrative career option at the moment generating a large number of jobs. From engineers to lawyers, project managers to auditors, everyone has a role to play in growing this industry.

Industries looking for cybersecurity

The need for qualified cybersecurity professionals is posing a challenge for enterprises as enterprises now seek for an in-house army of cybersecurity specialists. BFSI, retail, manufacturing, healthcare companies are willing to pay great capital in order to rope in some of the specialized professionals for aim to build a greater defence.

Cybersecurity experts

There can be a diverse range of professionals who work full-time in the core areas of cybersecurity -- forensics, incident response, software security etc and the Data Security Council of India has done a commendable job of creating a list of opportunities available for such experts. Cybersecurity poses new challenges every minute and to deal with them, curricula need to go through a shift by placing the talents in the right hands. Therefore, universities and research institutes are best suited to hone this kind of skillset. A plethora of universities (public and private) now offer graduate-level programs in specific areas of cybersecurity and the government is in full support of such development.

Scope Of Ethical Hacking

When they say evil can be defeated by good, they also mean in the terms of real-life issues. With the growing number of hacking threats, it is becoming difficult for companies to protect their critical data and systems. This has created a huge demand for counteraction in the form of ethical hackers who can help in securing operations while offering organizations a third person view of their state of security systems. Simply put, ethical hacking is a practice of testing organizational security through controlled attempts to break into a company's security system and expose the loopholes. These gifted individuals use a series of tests such as penetration testing, vulnerability testing, etc. to comprehend the integrity and confidentiality of the company's data, while testing for the accessibility and availability of the information.

Cyber-aware professionals

Apart from enlisting such expert, organizations are striving to create an engaging environment where every working individual is armed with a basic level of cybersecurity awareness. This includes a look at pain points such as maintaining password hygiene, understanding data sensitivity. The aim is to help the workforce take the onus of security in their own hands, without any extra expenditure. These would go on to become professionals who can protect themselves and their organisations using best practices on a day-to-day basis.

Attractive salary

The digital faction is said to clock in a handsome amount of pay- with cybersecurity sitting in the plum of remuneration. Several studies state that cybersecurity professionals earn better than other IT personnel, making it a lucrative vocation. A career in cybersecurity comes with a fetching salary, job security and better opportunities for professional growth at a quicker pace. It is said that an average cybersecurity professional in India earns around Rs 7.8 lakh annually- a lump sum to contend with.

The growth graph

When it comes to growth, one shouldn't worry as A NASSCOM report suggests a growing need for cybersecurity professionals in India. Cybersecurity consultancies are set to witness a sharp growth in the near future, creating a large number of jobs in the market. And with all the digital development taking place at breakneck speed, this ongoing flush of digital proficiency is bound to reach a growth unfathomed by all. It is safe to say, the tide of cybersecurity has just begun. In the future, there will be cyber war and it will be without weapons and Nuclear.

This will bring a lot of job opportunities for security experts.