Virendra Singh Rawat
Lucknow / Dec 17, 2020
To address the shortfall of skilled cybersecurity personnel amid growing cyber threats, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur has announced to launch advanced masters programmes in cybersecurity in addition to a dedicated centre for cybersecurity.
The three courses are designed for the training of dedicated and highly skilled manpower and accelerating the nation’s march towards Digital India.
The IIT Kanpur Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) would offer M Tech, MS by Research, and BT-MT Dual Degree in Cybersecurity. According to a press communiqué, the programmes would start with a limited number of seats, which will be gradually scaled up in size and scope. The admissions will commence during the April-May 2021 cycle.
“In the world of Digital Nomads, especially after Covid-19 and Gig Economy, there has been a significant shift to the cloud as almost everyone involved in a productive activity has had to go online and use digital devices. We have timed these masters programmes to ensure we start producing ‘cyber warriors’ of the future who can defend not only national boundaries but also make a mark internationally,” Institute director Prof Abhay Krandikar said.
The courses will also meet the demand from the country’s defence sector for a specialised Masters program in Cybersecurity for defence personnel.
Upon completion of the course, these trained personnel could take up responsibilities at defence establishments such as CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team), WESEE (Weapons and Electronics Engineering Centre, Indian Navy), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA) and others where there is an urgent requirement for trained cybersecurity professionals and become cyber soldiers guarding our cyber borders.
Meanwhile, Prof Manindra Agarwal of the IIT Kanpur CSE department said NASSCOM has indicated rise in cyber attacks along with data protection and privacy laws will lead to a US$35 billion revenue opportunity and job opportunities for millions of Indian professionals by 2025.
The global cybersecurity workforce shortage has been projected to top 1.8 million unfilled positions. In India, an estimate by the Data Security Council of India indicated, a requirement of about 1 million cybersecurity professionals. Another study indicated last year, there was a 117 per cent increase in incidents of cyber attacks on Indian enterprises as compared to the previous year.
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