Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Quotes from Tech Leaders

October is observed as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a dedicated month for the public and private sectors to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. Today, tech leaders from various organisations are coming together and sharing the importance of cybersecurity, offering valuable opinions. Here are a few quotes from these tech leaders:

Mr Karmesh Gupta, CEO and Co-founder of WiJungle

As we commemorate Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we recognize that cybersecurity is not just a shield but a catalyst for innovation and a distinguishing hallmark for businesses. In our ever-evolving digital landscape, the convergence of cutting-edge technologies like AI, IoT, and Cloud fuels progress across industries. Embracing a security-by-design ethos empowers us to harness these advancements while remaining vigilant to the accompanying perils.

In this digital age, where innovation and connectivity intertwine, we must acknowledge that with the growth in technology adoption comes an upsurge in cyber threats. The recent enactment of the Data Protection Bill 2023 in India marks a transformative stride in safeguarding data and fortifying cybersecurity. It underscores the dual facets of security and privacy as both an opportunity and a collective duty in our pursuit of a cyber-resilient world.

As we confront the escalating cyber threat landscape, it becomes evident that our businesses' competitive edge and our customers' trust are intrinsically tied to the strength of our cybersecurity measures. Simultaneously, the need for comprehensive cybersecurity education and awareness has never been more critical. On an organizational level, we must champion seamless security that users readily embrace, coupled with these vital educational initiatives. By placing cybersecurity at the forefront and nurturing a culture of awareness, we fortify our digital realms, mitigate the perils of cyber threats, and advance our business objectives. Let us mark this Cybersecurity Awareness Month not merely as an observance but as a call to action, uniting in our commitment to a secure, connected, and innovative future.

Puneet Gupta, Vice President & Managing Director, NetApp

“Data is the most valuable (and hence vulnerable) asset for businesses today. Advanced technologies like AI and ML will help drive data-driven decisions, further accelerating business growth. That said, both end users and technology providers will need to exercise caution and look at the vulnerabilities that come with the use of these technologies.

The use of emerging technologies can be akin to two sides of the same coin. While technology providers leverage it to thwart attacks, attackers use AI to launch attacks that are harder to detect. Today, ransomware is one of the biggest threats to data security, with attacks and attackers getting more sophisticated. Recent data by SonicWall shows a 133% rise in ransomware along with a 311% increase in IoT attacks in India alone. As solution providers, we need to fortify the landscape as much as possible and be able to anticipate evolving threats and test our resilience against them.

Gartner predicts that by 2024, organisations adopting a robust cybersecurity architecture will reduce the financial impact of security incidents by an average of 90%. As a means of addressing such challenges, we recommend monitoring for abnormalities in the storage solutions, post which its access to the main network can be cut off while taking remedial measures.”

Vineet Kumar, Founder and Global President, CyberPeace Foundation

In the ever-evolving digital landscape, Cybersecurity plays a critical role in protecting organisations and individuals from cyber attacks, preventing data breaches, and other types of evolving cybercrimes. With the widespread adoption of advanced digital technologies in every sector, organisations and individuals have also faced existing cyber vulnerabilities. As technology advances, so do the threats we face. To make cybersecurity more efficient, we need a multi-pronged approach. There have been recent evolvements and trends in advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud Computing, Zero trust architecture, quantum computing, etc, which have also posed some cyber security challenges. In recent years, the growing nature of attacks & vulnerabilities and increased cybercrime highlights the need to establish proper effective mechanisms for cyber security and CyberPeace in every sector or industry. Organisations must have strong cybersecurity measures to protect their data and customers. Strengthening cyber resilience within organisations and enterprises is significantly important while fostering the adoption and advancement of technologies. CyberPeace encourages and advocates towards establishing and implementing CyberPeace, cyber security measures and strengthening cyber resilience in every sector. Cyber security measures will effectively prevent malicious attackers from committing various evolving cyber crimes, including data loss and data breaches.