May 11 is celebrated as National Technology Day in India because way back in 1998, the country successfully carried out its first nuclear test at Pokhran. Not only this, India also carried out a test-run of its first indigenous aircraft ‘Hansa-3’ and was also successful in the test-firing of the Trishul missile on the same day. This year’s theme is ‘Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth.’ The President spoke about India being one of the top-ranking countries in the world in the field of basic research. He spoke about the disparity between have and have-nots, urban and rural areas, and exclusion and marginalization of certain groups that can give rise to social unrest. In the endeavour for global excellence, not even a single citizen should be left behind. In the talk about technological development, the topic of cybersecurity is a must seeing as how everyone spends the majority of their life online.
SME Channels has collated some of the leading quotes from front-liner companies.
John Shier, Senior Security Advisor, Sophos
“Organizations are continuing to struggle with phishing and other user focused attacks. Most people don’t believe that computer-based training (CBT) is effective and are looking for ways to improve their defenses against users being tricked into inviting malicious attackers into their network. Companies need to embrace data security across the entire company. It isn’t enough to have a security team, everyone plays a role and having a strong culture around security is the next step in maturity for security awareness programs. These include the top 5 best security practices:
Passwords: Use a unique, complex password for banking and other financial online accounts. For others, use a password manager to keep them organized and readily available.
2FA: Use Two- Factor Authentication (2FA) when available to provide an extra layer of security on accounts.
Phishing: Be wary of clicking on emails from unknown sources or deals that look too good to be true. Cybercriminals use look-alike spam to lure in victims with links to bogus websites. Businesses should train employees on how to ‘spot a phish.’
Cybersecurity protection: Use a layered business security strategy to provide protection at multiple levels to avoid attacks from different angles. Home users should consider Sophos Home.
IoT devices: Be wary of IoT devices on any network. Change factory default passwords immediately out of the box.”
Neelesh Kriplani, Sr VP and Head – Center of Excellence (CoE), Clover Infotech
“In today’s dynamic business environment, the biggest challenge for businesses isn’t becoming ‘digital’ – it’s providing real value to the customers at competitive cost. What we are witnessing in the market is businesses across the globe realigning and rearranging themselves around the customer. In such a scenario, technology is playing the role of an enabler to help businesses achieve this objective in the most relevant, productive and creative way. With new-age technologies disrupting almost all industries, it is extremely important that we train and reskill the IT talent to stay competitive and relevant.”
Gauri Bajaj, Director, Cybersecurity (APAC), Tata Communications
“While National Technology Day marks the success of the nuclear tests at Pokhran, it also reminds us of the prowess we have made in our digital journey.
However, when we talk about the digital growth in our country, the adoption of cyber security in particular remains a key challenge. The recent spate of cyber-attacks only highlight the security risk that takes place both within and without the organization. It is imperative that employees are sensitised to the risk of security breaches and trained to respond in such a scenario. It is equally important to make collaborative efforts from government, academicians and businesses to bridge the significant skill gap in this industry.
From an overall organisation perspective, new age technologies that are boosting defence against attackers are also facilitating cybercriminals with sophisticated methods. The common misconception that security hinders innovation and limits organisations’ digital transformation capabilities is untrue. The reality is that failing to factor in security at the onset of a digital transformation journey increases potential risks from outside threats. The way to address this is by adopting an integrated security framework that can simplify cyber security complexities across the digital estate with specialised threat management, bolstered by global network intelligence and the powerful platforms”
Vishal Gondal, CEO and founder, GOQii
“The future of wearable tech in the world of AI and predictive technology will be highly individualized, data driven and analytics intensive. One of the bigger applications of this will continue to be in the healthcare and fitness sector. Although still in a nascent stage, preventive healthcare platforms will soon disrupt the larger healthcare ecosystem by predicting the onset of lifestyle diseases and nudging users to take personalized corrective measures before the condition becomes chronic. AI and data is already being used to customize health plans for users and help them make a shift from a curative to preventive lifestyle. A good example of this is how users’ data is enabling insurance companies to lower premiums for healthy individuals as well as encouraging others to follow. There is little doubt that the correct use of data will be a game-changer in healthcare. However, what is key to make this happen is also building a holistic ecosystem those tracks, guides and designs individualized plans for each individual, at a low cost.”
Kishan Jain, Director, Goldmedal Electricals
“With the fourth industrial revolution almost upon us, we are seeing digitaltechnologies such as internet of things (IoT), home automation, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and connected devices play a major role in making our homes and businesses more efficient. IoT has facilitated the development of technologies through which users can control literally every aspect of their home whether it is lighting, heating or electronic appliances.
According to Statista, the global smart home automation market size is expected to touch 40.9 billion USD by 2020. The future of the smart home industry is quite intriguing as it not only transforms our way of life but also enriches our lives for the better. This in turn, not only has a positive impact from a consumer standpoint, but also offers considerable business opportunities for technology companies and tech entrepreneurs to innovate and build next-gen solutions that disrupt the market as a whole.”
