As India accelerates toward a $1 trillion digital economy, cybersecurity has become the invisible backbone powering trust, continuity, and innovation across sectors. India’s digital economy is being built on trust and cybersecurity is the scaffolding that sustains it. As organizations weave AI, cloud, and data-driven systems deeper into operations, their ability to protect, detect, and respond to threats will determine not only resilience but also competitive advantage.
“October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a timely reminder that security is not optional, it’s foundational. India’s digital ecosystem, particularly banking, now operates in a real-time, API-driven world of instant payments, open platforms, and expanding third-party integrations. This interconnectedness widens the attack surface, with threats such as account takeover, API abuse, ransomware, and deepfake-enabled fraud. The mandate is clear: protect customer trust while enabling seamless digital experiences,” said Sameer Goyal, Senior Director, Acuity Knowledge Partners.
“I strongly believe, in digital life, trust is our currency. By pairing zero-trust architecture with AI-driven analytics, we’re turning cybersecurity from a compliance checkbox into a competitive advantage,” he added.
Goyal emphasized that leaders are responding on three fronts, zero-trust architecture, AI-assisted threat detection, and secure-by-design engineering. “Yet technology alone isn’t enough. Continuous employee awareness, resilience playbooks, and red- and purple-team exercises ensure preparedness, if an incident does occur. Institutions that embed a culture of security can innovate confidently while meeting customer and regulatory expectations,” he noted.
Healthcare at the Frontline of Digital Trust
In healthcare, the balance between innovation and protection has never been more delicate. As medical systems go digital, from cloud-based diagnostics to connected devices, the potential impact of a breach extends far beyond financial loss.
“As India’s healthcare sector embraces digital transformation, from cloud solutions and AI-powered diagnostics to IoT-enabled medical devices, we must recognize that innovation also brings new cybersecurity risks. Patient data is one of the most valuable assets in today’s digital economy, and the increasing interconnectivity of healthcare systems makes the sector a prime target for cyberattacks. A single breach can disrupt hospital operations, attract regulatory fines, erode public trust and most importantly compromise patient safety,” said Arvind Vaishnav, Head, Philips Innovation Campus.
“At Philips, we are committed to ensuring that cybersecurity is not just a technical requirement, it’s a foundation of patient safety and digital trust. We embed security at every stage of product design and deployment, conducting proactive risk assessments, and fostering a culture of awareness across teams to enhance organizational resilience. As we continue to innovate for better health outcomes, our commitment to data protection and secure digital ecosystems remains unwavering. Building a secure healthcare future requires collective responsibility, and cybersecurity must be at the core of every innovation journey,” he added.
Cybersecurity: The Currency of the Digital Economy
The rise of AI systems, data pipelines, and interconnected digital ecosystems has transformed cybersecurity from a cost center into an economic imperative. “Digital transactions, AI systems, and interconnected data ecosystems are driving unprecedented economic value, making cybersecurity the defining currency of the digital economy. Trust is the foundation of this value, and protecting digital systems is essential to maintaining it. India’s digital economy already contributes 11.74% of GDP (₹31.64 lakh crore) and is projected to account for nearly one-fifth of national income by 2029-30, reflecting that data underpins growth while powering its momentum,” notes Rizwan Patel, Global Head Cloud, InfoSec and Emerging Technologies, Altimetrik.
Patel warns that “threat actors exploit logic flaws in APIs, compromise data pipelines, and manipulate AI models, turning isolated incidents into disruptions that can threaten the integrity and value of the digital economy.”
Altimetrik’s AI-driven Information Security approach integrates observability, machine learning, and human expertise to preempt risks. “Central to this approach is the Agent Design Accountability Framework (ADAF), ensuring responsible AI through trustworthy, auditable systems built from inception. This safety-first framework embeds explainability and accountability across the agent development lifecycle. Complementing ADAF, SafePrompt governs data by scanning and enforcing policies on prompts and file uploads to prevent sensitive information exposure. Altimetrik positions cybersecurity as the backbone of the digital economy protecting data, ensuring AI reliability, and reinforcing trust at every level. With intelligent, accountable, and adaptive systems, organizations can transform security from a necessity into a source of innovation, resilience, and enduring value.”
From Awareness to Resilience
“Cybersecurity isn’t just foundational, it’s the only thing standing between business continuity and chaos,” said Attila Torok, Chief Information Security Officer, GoTo. “With work happening across fragmented networks and devices, the attack surface is everywhere. That’s why security must be embedded into every role, not siloed in IT. It’s now a shared responsibility.”
Torok emphasized that modern resilience means anticipating disruptions rather than merely surviving them. “AI brings scale and speed to both defense and attack. Organizations use it to detect anomalies and automate response, but also face adversaries using it to craft deepfakes, launch precision phishing, and exploit non-deterministic behavior. Perimeter defenses don’t cut it anymore. That’s why businesses must also invest in zero trust architectures and build security into every layer, from identity to endpoint. But tech alone isn’t enough. A well-trained workforce, equipped with the right tools and empowered to act, is the strongest defense we have. Security awareness is good. Operational readiness is better. Let’s turn knowledge into action and build a workforce that’s not just informed but resilient.”
Cybersecurity Talent: The New Digital Currency
The demand for cybersecurity professionals is now outpacing supply, making it one of the most talent-constrained domains of the digital era.
“India’s digital economy is entering a new phase where capability matters more than capacity. As enterprises expand their digital footprint, cybersecurity has become the foundation of trust and continuity as what was once a support function is now a core pillar of business strategy,” said Kapil Joshi, CEO – Quess IT Staffing.
He added that “The need for cybersecurity talent is rising rapidly across BFSI, retail, healthcare and manufacturing. Financial institutions are investing heavily in secure credit systems, fraud detection and digital payment infrastructure. In healthcare, the growing use of telemedicine and patient-data platforms has increased the urgency for privacy and compliance.”
“Retail organizations are also strengthening their defenses for e-commerce platforms where each transaction generates sensitive information. According to the Quess GCC Report, cybersecurity continues to record steady momentum as organisations deepen investments in AI-led risk controls and compliance visibility. The report also notes an eighteen-percent skill gap in this area, making it one of the most talent-constrained domains across digital functions. BFSI has seen a sharp rise in digital hiring, much of it focused on risk and compliance automation as institutions modernise their systems to align with tighter regulatory oversight and data-governance standards.”.
