Microsoft CyberSecurity Engagement Center Touches 126 Organizations in a Year

Microsoft India has announced the first anniversary of their India Cybersecurity Engagement Center. Over the period of a year, the center has reached out to 126 organizations, empowering them with information and techniques to secure critical information infrastructure and help reduce malware and digital risk in the country. Part of a global network of eight such centres, it brings together Microsoft capabilities to foster deeper cybersecurity collaborations with public and private sector organizations and build a trusted and secure computing environment, a critical enabler for India’s digital transformation.

The company has also rolled out a nationwide campaign to increase awareness on cybersecurity and cyber hygiene, ahead of the upcoming Global Conference of Cyber Space (GCCS2017). Aimed at a wide gamut of audiences from enterprises to school children, the initiative underlines the company’s commitment to the Digital India vision and making cyberspace safer. 

Anant Maheshwari, President-Microsoft India, said, “Cybersecurity is vital for Digital India. A data driven economy can flourish only when governments, businesses and individuals leverage the power of cloud computing with the confidence that their data is secure. Microsoft understands that economic vitality and national security depend on a stable, safe, and resilient cyberspace. We believe that through active collaboration between the government and the private sector we can succeed in building a safe and secure digital ecosystem in the country.”

The initiatives under the Intelligent Security program include:

CISO Advisory Board: Microsoft has partnered several organizations across sectors to set up a CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) Advisory Board. The objective of the board is to foster a deep and continuous engagement with the CISO community and share information and knowledge about latest developments in cybersecurity as well best techniques and practices, through discussions and tools such as white papers on critical security topics.

Cybersecurity workshops for private enterprises: Through its three-pronged approach of a comprehensive platform, unique intelligence and partnerships, Microsoft is driving educational sessions and coaching sessions with enterprises across the country. Aimed at helping organizations understand their security requirements and protect their information infrastructure better, this follows the Microsoft Secure campaign in 2016. Close to a hundred enterprises have already participated in the workshops so far.

The GDPR Academy: The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which comes into force in May 2018, significantly raises the bar for privacy. Privacy and compliance are business essential and the GDPR requires that organizations respect and protect personal data – no matter where it is sent, processed or stored. To help simplify the path to compliance, Microsoft is organizing a series of worldwide webinars as well as physical workshops in select Indian cities under the aegis of its GDPR Academy for its customers. 

Microsoft’s industry leadership in data privacy protection has been recognized for over a decade, beginning with the establishment of the company’s Trustworthy Computing principles, which include security, privacy, compliance and transparency. Microsoft has committed to be  GDPR compliant by May 2018, and is the first major cloud provider to offer thecontractual commitments required by the GDPR to its customers.

Making cyber-hygiene a habit among the young: In a bid to inculcate create awareness about good practices for holistic and collaborative cyber-physical safety of children, Microsoft is working with partner schools to integrate lessons on cyber-hygiene and cyber safety into their curriculum, starting with the 25 schools under the Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) initiative, which is part of Niti Aayog’sflagship program Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). Microsoft also joined hands recently with KidZania and Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, Sr. Psychiatrist, Paras Hospitals to organize a workshop on good practices for holistic and collaborative cyber-physical safety of children.

Microsoft’s approach to cybersecurity in today’s cloud-centric world rests on three core functional areas: protect, detect and respond. To support a comprehensive, cross-company and cross-industry approach to cybersecurity, Microsoft invests more than a billion dollars a year in security research, innovation and development. It is the first company in the industry to win a certification ISO/IEC 27018 that validates the highest levels of data security and privacy.