Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning , Cybercrime , Finance & Banking

ISMG's Mumbai Summit Explores the Future of Cybersecurity

Information Security Media Group this week wrapped up its Cybersecurity Summit: Mumbai, which united digital experts and thought leaders on many hot topics including digital resilience, security, growth and business transformation.

See Also: Mobile Apps are the New Endpoint

Participants in the summit included security leaders from both the public and private sector, encompassing banking and financial services, computer software, healthcare, insurance, government administration, and education management and higher education.

Digital India and CISO Challenges

Yoginder Talwar, senior general manager/HoD for tender and CISO of National Informatics Center Services Inc., delivered a keynote address titled "Digital India: A Cybersecurity Perspective." The session provided fresh perspectives on the Digital India movement propelled by the Digital India Act. The movement is having an impact on various sectors in fostering economic growth, but this transformation has ushered in substantial risks, placing CISOs in the challenging role of safeguarding digital innovations.

Against this backdrop of opportunities and challenges, Talwar addressed several key objectives, including strategies to excel in the digital economy where innovation is paramount and there is a need to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to fortify security defenses.

Sameer Ratolikar, senior executive vice president and CISO at HDFC Bank Ltd., delved into how CISOs are redefining their leadership, moving beyond their traditional role in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous - or VUCA - world. He emphasized the need for incorporating security in corporate strategies and the DNA of the organization.

"Ratolikar's plenary session held particular intrigue for the delegates, serving as a prelude to the day's discussions on the essential leadership qualities of a CISO," said Geetha Nandikotkur, vice president, conferences for Asia, Middle East and Africa at ISMG. "During the session, he outlined six fundamental stages of the CISO's role in fortifying cyber resilience within an organization."

AI, Zero Trust and More

In an era of digital complexity, simplifying cybersecurity has become an imperative task for security leaders. Vishal Salvi, CEO of Quick Heal Technologies, provided practical insights into mitigating cyberthreats in an increasingly technology-dependent world. Salvi highlighted approaches aimed at streamlining cybersecurity operations, improving efficiency and cost effectiveness, and protecting against the ever-evolving threat landscape.

Speakers covered a wide range of topics, such as incident reporting, an identity-first approach to zero trust, and AIOps and its impact on IT operations.

"Although AI remains a prominent topic of conversation for CISOs and CIOs, discussions about data protection, software supply chain intricacies, and mobile application security also garnered significant attention during the summit," said Suparna Goswami, associate editor at ISMG. "In a dedicated session on zero trust, the focus was on applying the framework to APIs and addressing the practical challenges therein. This underscores the notion that while AI has gained momentum, zero trust continues to hold its ground in a CISO's mind."

The summit concluded with a panel discussion titled "360-Degree View of Security: Top Technologies That Will Shape Your Enterprise in 2024." The panel featured Brijesh Singh, principal secretary to the chief minister, Maharashtra, for the government of Maharashtra; Mathan Babu K., CTSO and DPO at Vodafone; Atul Singh, regional director of sales for the western region at CrowdStrike; Deven Parulekar, CEO of SaffronStays; and Kavita Viswanath, vice president and general manager for APAC at JFrog. The panel provided valuable perspectives on current cybersecurity challenges, the significance of India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and the need to invest in advanced technological defenses to thwart attacker tactics.

"CISO leadership, generative AI and the DPDP Act took center stage, forming recurring themes that permeated exclusive presentations, fireside chats and panel discussions," Nandikotkur said. "The speakers adeptly integrated these topics into the technology-focused sessions, strategically charting a new direction for CISOs in their future plans of action."

Key Highlights

• Building digital resilience is a critical endeavor for organizations to ensure they can withstand and recover from cyberthreats.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of sharing operational, strategic and tactical threat intelligence is essential in gauging an organization's cybersecurity preparedness.
• AI-driven solutions can significantly bolster threat detection, incident response and overall defense mechanisms.

Join ISMG at the 10th edition of the DynamicCISO Excellence Awards and Conference in Feb 2024. Discover cutting-edge strategies and insights from industry experts to safeguard your organization against evolving cyberthreats.