New Delhi, India – SANS Institute, the global leader in cyber security training, along with its affiliate GIAC Certifications announced a partnership with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) to accelerate India's position in global cyber security leadership.
A MOU indicating the collaborative intentions of both organizations was signed on Wednesday December 16th by Dr. Sandhya Chintala, Executive Director SSC NASSCOM and Mr. Scott Cassity, Senior Director of SANS' GIAC. The objective of the collaboration between SANS and NASSCOM is to fast-track eight best practices for cyber security skills development in India.
Through SANS' work in supporting organizations and countries develop cyber security capabilities at a national level, the following eight best practices have been identified as the key activities to apply in further developing India as a global leader in cyber security:
- Training from Instructors with proven deep technical skills and extraordinary teaching skills
- Training content that is technically current, with a reliable and proven process to keep it that way
- Flexible and proven content delivery options and tools to ensure students can effectively learn the material
- Selecting the best candidates for skills development
- Demonstrating students have hands-on mastery of the skills being sought (not just test taking skills)
- Establishing cadres of local talent capable of independently carrying on the program
- Developing a pipeline of talented people to ensure a continuum of success (rather than a point in time)
- Ensuring long-term viability by developing a national "culture of security"
"We are delighted to partner with NASSCOM to develop a comprehensive cyber security training and certification program to meet the ever increasing need of trained and skilled technology professionals in India," said Scott Cassity, Senior Director SANS' GIAC. "SANS and GIAC bring a unique emphasis on hands-on cyber security skills which are necessary to thwart the exponential growth of information security threats in our increasingly connected world. SANS' partnership with NASSCOM will lead to a stronger security posture for India."
Nandkumar Saravade, CEO, DSCI said, "Security professionals' roles have become increasingly critical for organizations. It is important that cutting edge skills are acquired by them, followed by regular sharpening. The partnership with NASSCOM and SANS comes at the cusp of the cyber security skill development agenda. This partnership will enable India to bridge the skills gap and build capacity in this field."
On the occasion Dr. Sandhya Chintala, SSC NASSCOM Executive Director and NASSCOM Vice President, said, "This is a positive step towards our goal of addressing the cyber security space at large. The partnership will help leverage and adapt SANS Institute's training content, capabilities and assessment tools for the Indian market. I would like to thank SANS for coming forward for this crucial initiative."
To learn more about SANS vital cyber security training in India and the broader Asia Pacific Region, please visit: www.sans.org/u/b37
About SSC NASSCOMSSC NASSCOM is the skill development initiative of NASSCOM, and is the authorized standards setting body for skills in the IT-ITeS Industry. The council works with NASSCOM industry members, and top academic and skill development institutions to improve the quality and quantity of the employable workforce available to the industry. For more details please visit: www.sscnasscom.com
DSCI Media Contact
Kavita Doshi
NASSCOM
E-mail:kavita@nasscom.in
Phone:+ 91 11 23010199
SANS Media Contact
- Julie Akstin-Dearing
- JABB Communications for SANS
- E-mail: dearing@jabbcomm.com
- Phone: 713-201-9000
About SANS Institute
The SANS Institute was established in 1989 as a cooperative research and education organization. Today, SANS is the most trusted and, by far, the largest provider of cyber security training and certification to professionals in government and commercial institutions world-wide. Renowned SANS instructors teach more than 60 courses at in-person and virtual cyber security training events and on demand. GIAC, an affiliate of the SANS Institute, validates practitioner skills through more than 35 hands-on, technical certifications in cyber security. The SANS Technology Institute, a regionally accredited independent subsidiary, offers a master’s degree, graduate certificates, and an undergraduate certificate in cyber security. SANS Security Awareness, a division of SANS, provides organizations with a complete and comprehensive security awareness solution, enabling them to easily and effectively manage their ‘human’ cybersecurity risk. SANS also delivers a wide variety of free resources to the InfoSec community including consensus projects, research reports, webcasts, podcasts, and newsletters; it also operates the Internet's early warning system–the Internet Storm Center. At the heart of SANS are the many security practitioners, representing varied global organizations from corporations to universities, working together to support and educate the global information security community. (https://www.sans.org)