Microsoft wants to train Indians in cybersecurity: Here’s how

Microsoft back in October last year launched a cybersecurity skilling program in the US in a bid to address the growing shortage of cybersecurity experts in the country. Now, the company is bringing the same program to India and 22 other countries across the globe.

Microsoft today announced that it is bringing its cybersecurity skilling campaign to 23 countries across the globe, which includes India, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
“These countries have an elevated cyberthreat risk, coupled with a significant gap in their cybersecurity workforces both in terms of the number of professionals employed in cybersecurity vs. the demand, as well as a lack of diversity,” Microsoft wrote in a post announcing the news.

Talking about its plans in India, Microsoft said that its cybersecurity skilling program in India will build on top of its existing CyberShikshaa program, which is helping break down the gender divide in the cybersecurity field.

By 2025, the cybersecurity sector in India will have an estimated 1.5 million job vacancies, which represents a 42% talent shortage even as cybersecurity job growth is projected to grow by 32% by 2028, says a report India’s Labour Bureau. Microsoft said while there is a demand for cybersecurity professionals in India, not much was being done to meet it. The company noted that most higher-education and technical institutes in the country did not offer cybersecurity courses. To address this issue, the company has also partnered with ICT Academy, which is a nonprofit partner in India, to develop cybersecurity training programs for educators and higher-education students at 100 institutions in five states, with an emphasis on rural colleges.

Through this initiative and CyberShikshaa for Educators, the company aims to help more faculty members become cybersecurity trainers. These cybersecurity trainers can then provide cybersecurity training and job placement assistance to students.

In the first phase, Microsoft aims to train about 6,000 students. After that the company will “work with our partner network to connect students to job opportunities and internships.”

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