Key Insights on Talent Imperative for Cyber Security

Manipal Global Academy of IT conducted a panel discussion session on Talent Imperatives for Cyber Security that was attended by top industry leaders. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr Yogesh Kumar Bhatt, VP and Director of Manipal ProLearn.  The participants in the panel discussion were as follows:

• Gaurav Shukla, Partner, Risk Advisory, Deloitte
• Srinivas Rao M, Founder and CEO at Aujas Networks
• Manish Tiwari, (Retd) Microsoft India
• Mahesh Guru, VP, Chief Cyber Security and Business Continuity Officer, Capgemini
• Ashutosh Jain, CISO, Axis Bank and
• Ankush Chowdhary, Cyber Security Strategist, Amazon Web Services

(From Left to Right – Gaurav Shukla, Partner, Risk Advisory, Deloitte, Srinivas Rao M, Founder and CEO at Aujas Networks, Cdr. Manish Tiwari, (Retd) Microsoft India, Dr Yogesh Kumar Bhatt, Director – Manipal ProLearn, Mahesh Guru, VP, Chief Cyber Security and Business Continuity Officer, Capgemini, Ashutosh Jain, CISO, Axis Bank and Ankush Chowdhary, Cyber Security Strategist, Amazon Web Services).

Insights from the Panel Discussion

Post the address by the speakers – Shri Sanjay Sahay ADGP, Karnataka State Police and Dr Gulshan Rai, National Cyber Security Coordinator, GoI where they shared their insights on cyber security and necessary talent imperatives, the stage was set for further immersive discussion. Dr Bhatt, popped an open question to start the discussion. He asked, “In your context, which are some of the key concerns regarding talent imperatives in cyber security?”

Specialised Professionals across Levels

Gaurav Shukla of Deloitte was the first to share his views on this. He started by talking about the commencement of cyber journey wherein human beings have been the weakest link in the entire chain. He drew the comparisons between the security forces protecting a country to specialised cybersecurity security professionals handling the processes, networks, Internet of Things (IoT), servers and automation. He also pointed out the importance of upgrading skills in ensuring the best cyber security measures.

Striking Harmony among Technology, Process and People

Speaking on talent imperatives, Srinivas Rao M of Aujas Networks said that there are three components to this namely, technology, process and people. He added, “If these three components do not work in close harmony, then there will be major issues in maintaining cyber security.” He also revealed the three key skills that he deems important while hiring talents in this field. These are knowledge, skills and attitude.

Mr Rao also shared some great insights for those who are looking to delve in to a career of Cyber security. He said, “If you are coming into the field of security, you will have to be ready for continuous learning.”

Crucial Insights for Future Cyber Security professionals

Retired Commander of the Indian Navy and present CISO of Microsoft India, Mr Manish Tiwari shared some of his crucial insights for youngsters who might come into the field of cyber security in the future. He explained that young professionals are often in a hurry to achieve more over a shorter period of time, which often does more harm to their career than good. He suggested that moving too fast; often leads to lack of maturity and in a role that’s continuously evolving like cyber security, it is imperative to have strong base in the field and enough maturity. He added that a lot of companies are coming up with newer roles to address the gap in cyber security and those with knowledge and experience would eventually climb up the ladder.

Search for Passion beyond Degrees

Putting forward his thoughts, Mahesh Guru of Capgemini shared an interesting perspective. He said, that hackers are often the ones without extravagant degrees or qualifications. They do these out of their passion. However, on the other side, when companies hire people to ensure cyber security, they look for degrees over passion. This as per him should change if organisations want to hire the best of talents. He also reiterated Mr Tiwari’s point and said, young professionals should display more patience to grow and build a career over a job.

Hands on Training and an Offensive Mindset

Ashutosh Jain of Axis Bank spoke on the necessity to invest in quality education and training to employees. He emphasised on the need to provide hands on training over theories. He also discussed the necessity of developing an offensive mindset among employees to help them think from the perspective of a hacker. Lastly, he suggested dedicated resource allocation by companies to develop security products and platforms.

 Mentoring the way ahead

Ankush Chowdhury of Amazon Web Services focussed on the importance of mentoring young people to empower them. He revealed how his role as a mentor to pass on his ideas and also to gain fresh and new insights from fresh brains helps in developing a culture for cyber security. He also hailed Manipal ProLearn for being in the space of creating new cyber security professionals for the future.

On a Concluding Note

The panelists also answered a few questions that were directed from the audience on various facets of cyber security and were unanimous in their views of developing a stronger, immersive and continuous learning ecosystem to develop a cutting edge among the next batch of professionals. Dr Yogesh Kumar Bhatt concluded the discussion by sharing Manipal ProLearn’s foray in this field and the plans they have in collaborating with the industry to create a stronger and equipped workforce for the future.