NASSCOM teams up with Symantec to uplift cyber-security standards in India

New Delhi: NASSCOM in collaboration with security firm Symantec, and Data Security Council of India (DSCI) launched the National Occupational Standards for ten cyber security job roles with the corresponding Qualification Packs (QP) in line with the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF).

The launch of the ten new qualification packs/job roles is focused on streamlining the cyber security skills development initiative and enhancing the relevance and standards for talent development within India's cyber security community.

The event, which took place in Delhi on Monday, was conducted in the presence of senior functionaries across government, industry and academia. Recognised professionals across myriad sectors shared feedback regarding the guidelines to define the 10 new cyber-security job roles and QPs under the NOS.

In addition to increasing the standard benchmark of talent development in the cyber security community in the country, the collaboration was also aimed at providing cyber security skills training and certification to women professionals in India.

Symantec has also instituted scholarships to 1,000 women undertaking the cyber security certification by SSC NASSCOM.

Last year, the organizations had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the launch of Cyber Security Skill Development Initiative.

Talking about Symantec’s on-going association with NASSCOM, Sanjay Rohatgi, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Symantec said “Building the next generation of cyber professionals is key to securing India’s critical information infrastructure, battling cybercrime and making the ‘Digital India’ initiative successful.”

Realising the importance of encouraging women in this field, Rohatgi said, “Leading on from our commitment in 2015, we continue to work closely with NASSCOM to build a cadre of world class, skilled and certified cyber security professionals in India, with a special focus on youth and women."

NASSCOM President R Chandrashekhar explained that the initiative has a bilateral approach—to contribute to limiting the spurt of cyber-crime and also enhancing the employability of the work-force.

“With collaborative efforts, we are glad to announce the launch of ten QPs & the courseware for QP Analyst - Application Security, which is the collective effort of the industry and is going to be a landmark in empowering women while fighting a major issue like cybercrime,” he added.