-- Focuses on developing world-class skilled and certified
professionals leading to employability, especially for youth and
women
NEW DELHI, June 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The National
Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and
Symantec, the global leader in cyber security, today signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for "Building Cyber Security
Skills", an initiative to develop world-class skilled and
certified professionals. The MoU was signed in the presence of
R. Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM and Michael A. Brown, President and Chief
Executive Officer, Symantec.
The development is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call at NASSCOM's silver jubilee
in March 2015 to focus on global
cyber security challenges. Sector Skill Council (SSC) NASSCOM and
DSCI along with Symantec will focus on developing five prioritized
job roles in cyber security along with a master training program.
Additionally, the program also intends to fund the scholarship for
1000 women undertaking the cyber security certification by
NASSCOM.
R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM while talking about
the MoU said, "This is a positive step towards our objective to
address the cyber security issue at large. This partnership will
enable the industry to map existing and future skills requirements
and plug its demand-supply gap. The program will also focus on
developing pioneering models for scaling capacity and enhancing
employability through assessments and certifications. We would like
to thank Symantec for coming forward for this crucial
initiative."
NASSCOM had set up Data Security Council of India (DSCI) way back in 2008, proving its
foresightedness and leadership in cyber security by recognizing the
need of setting up an independent organization. DSCI has been
instrumental in taking several initiatives in developing
capability, and has been actively involved in developing and
executing a framework for Cyber Security Skills.
With the rise of Internet related crimes, cyber security has
become an area of focus for NASSCOM and its member organizations,
and the association has launched several initiatives to promote
data protection, security, privacy codes and standards. Also, the
role of security professionals over the years has undergone major
transformation, leading to a sharp rise in the need for a larger
and more dynamic cyber security workforce. The demand for the
workforce is expected to rise to 6 million (globally) by 2019, with
projected shortfall of 1.5 million. Symantec and NASSCOM have
collectively decided to address this issue. This initiative also
aims to facilitate internships and placement of the certified
candidates.
Talking about Symantec's association with NASSCOM,
Michael A. Brown, President and
Chief Executive Officer, Symantec said, "With the rise in
targeted attacks aimed at Indian enterprises and consumers, cyber
security has become more important than ever before. As a leader in
cyber security, Symantec is deeply committed to addressing the
workforce skills gap in this area. With the partnership with
NASSCOM, we are taking the first big step towards building cyber
security skills in India. The
initiative will also facilitate internships and placement of
certified candidates, and is an extension in India of the Symantec Cyber Career Connection
(SC3), a program launched last year to attract and train young
adults and women in the field of cyber security."
With the global IT Security market estimated to be USD 77 billion in 2015 and grow at over 8%
annually, NASSCOM has been actively working towards building
capacity for the sector. Recently, NASSCOM and Data Security
Council of India (DSCI) launched
the NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force to help build India as a global hub for providing cyber
security solutions, developing cyber security R&D plan and
developing a skilled workforce of cyber security experts.
About NASSCOM
NASSCOM® is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce
of the IT-BPM industry in India.
NASSCOM is a global trade body with more than 1800 members, which
include both Indian and multinational companies that have a
presence in India. NASSCOM's
member and associate member companies are broadly in the business
of software development, software services, software products,
consulting services, BPM, e-commerce and web services, engineering
services and animation and gaming. NASSCOM's membership base
constitutes over 95% of the industry revenues in India and employs about 3.5 million
professionals.
About Symantec
Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC) is an information protection
expert that helps people, businesses and governments seeking the
freedom to unlock the opportunities technology brings -- anytime,
anywhere. Founded in April 1982,
Symantec, a Fortune 500 company, operating one of the largest
global data-intelligence networks, has provided leading security,
backup and availability solutions for where vital information is
stored, accessed and shared. The company's more than 19,000
employees reside in more than 50 countries. Ninety-nine percent of
Fortune 500 companies are Symantec customers. In fiscal 2015, it
recorded revenues of $6.5 billion. To
learn more go to www.symantec.com or connect with Symantec at:
http://www.symantec.com/social/
For more information, please contact:
Sanjana Shetty
Symantec Corporation
sanjana_shetty@symantec.com