Sanjay Rohatgi,
President - Sales, India,
Symantec
'Digital India' is an aspirational project envisioned by our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi wherein technology will reside at the core of India’s transformation. We are particularly thrilled with the Government’s all-encompassing initiative which clearly enunciates a clear action plan for last mile internet connectivity, better access to services, as well as IT skills development of local talent. Creating a “Digital India” would require a collaborative effort drawing on the experiences, ideas and skill, as well as global innovation and expertise. From an infrastructure standpoint, smart cities will require smart grids, energy efficiency, intelligent transportation, connected healthcare, public safety and security along with wireless communications and hotspots. As a result, this process would entail unprecedented volume of data travelling through the infrastructure, which therefore indicates the need for more connected and advanced security systems to make this idea a successful implementation. Symantec is well-positioned as a leader in information protection and management space to counter the challenge of keeping India secure and to safeguard Government’s vision of ‘Digital India’.
Over the last 20 years that Symantec has been in India, we have been committed to India with our vast R&D presence. In India, Symantec also has key security intelligence installations like Security Response Center and Security Operations Center that are the key components of Symantec’s Global Intelligence Network and help customers both globally and locally. Symantec serves as the information protection authority that provides the confidence to do anything in the digital world. Our brand promise is “Go ahead. You’ve got Symantec.”
As per Symantec’s Internet Security Threat Report 2014, 69% of targeted attacks in India were on large enterprises. The vision of ‘Digital India’ is not just ambitious but also challenging to execute as its success and execution is governed by varied factors. In a country as vast as India there are several challenges one could encounter in process of enabling the country with state-of-the-art technologies.
Infrastructure
By ‘Digital India’ one could easily imagine intertwined networks, devices and systems, which also indicates the volume of data that would be generated, shared and stored across the country. The country needs robust infrastructure to manage the anticipated data deluge. Investment in infrastructure in-form of datacentre, power and back-up tools are essential to set a firm base.
Security
Security is an integral part of the Digital India concept rather than an afterthought. Securing data at all time is going to be the real challenge that the government has to address before embarking on this ambitious project. Besides protection of citizen’s information at large, security of critical infrastructure need to be ensured through strict compliance with the security policy and using modern techniques, tools and processes. Increasing dependency on the Internet, mobile and social network means that our personal and sensitive information resides in some computer or network and travels across the world in a flash. Hence, we need to protect such information and also beware of the tricks and traps laid out by the criminals.
Skillset and Training
Success of “Digital India” would depend on the collaborative effort drawing on the experiences, ideas and the right skill sets, also taking into account global innovation and expertise. Given the scale of the project, there is a growing need for skilled pool of resources to manage the project and enable citizens to make the most of it. Symantec is aligned with the national agenda of the Government of India and will try to support in every possible manner.
