For the longest time, cybersecurity was considered a ‘back office’ function of IT. However, with rapid digitization and the evolving threat landscape, determining the cybersecurity team size India needs has become a top strategic priority. Today, cybersecurity professionals play a crucial role in shaping company strategy—some even securing seats on the Board of Directors.
Cybersecurity has now become an essential function, especially for enterprises in India where the digital landscape is in constant flux:
- Rapid Digitization: India is on track to become a $1 trillion digital economy by 2028. The widespread use of smartphones is fuelling the government’s push toward a cashless economy. However, this rapid transformation often results in quickly implemented technological infrastructures that come with inherent vulnerabilities.
- A Target for Cybercriminals: Increased reliance on digital technology means that threats are evolving every day. Approximately 55% of Indian organizations report a rise in cyberattacks—ranging from phishing and ransomware attempts to supply chain infiltrations and even sophisticated AI-driven assaults.
- State-Sponsored Attacks: Beyond profit-seeking cybercriminals, India’s geopolitical significance has made it a frequent target of state-sponsored cyber assaults. Between September 2021 and September 2023, these attacks increased by 278%, soaring to 460% when focusing solely on government institutions.
- Stringent Regulatory Environment: The recent Digital Personal Data Protection Act and subsequent cybersecurity regulations across sectors like telecom and financial services make it imperative for companies to secure business-sensitive data, thereby avoiding heavy penalties and reputational damage.
Mapping Out the Cybersecurity Team Structure
To address cybersecurity staffing challenges in Indian IT companies and determine the optimal cybersecurity team size for Indian IT enterprises, it’s essential to identify every function that contributes to a watertight security strategy. The process begins with your Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), who is responsible for:
- Acting as the primary conduit for all cybersecurity-related communications with business leaders.
- Seamlessly aligning cybersecurity initiatives with business goals to maintain a balance between security and productivity.
- Efficiently utilizing cybersecurity budgets to build a robust strategy.
- Driving cybersecurity awareness throughout the organization via training and development.
- Leading crisis management during incidents.
- Ensuring business continuity and effective disaster recovery after successful cyberattacks.
- Managing vendor relationships to secure supply chains.
- Overseeing the entire cybersecurity team.
Beneath the CISO, several specialized functions help form a resilient cybersecurity framework:
| Function | Tasks | Roles Required |
|---|---|---|
| Security Operations Centre (SOC) | Continuously monitor and swiftly respond to any security incidents or threats. | SOC managers, SOC analysts, Incident responders |
| Security Architecture & Engineering | Design and implement all necessary security controls and architectures to fortify IT systems, applications, and networks. | Security architects, Security engineers, DevSecOps engineers |
| Threat Intelligence | Gather, analyze, and disseminate threat information to anticipate and mitigate potential attacks. | Threat intelligence analysts, Threat hunters |
| Vulnerability Management | Identify, analyze, and resolve system and application vulnerabilities—sometimes using simulated attacks to inform better strategies. | Vulnerability analysts, Penetration testers (ethical hackers) |
| Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) | Ensure that all regulatory and audit-related requirements are uniformly followed across the organization. | Compliance officers, Risk managers, Audit specialists |
In addition, emerging technologies demand new expertise. As more organizations migrate to the cloud, demand is growing for cloud-focused security specialists. Similarly, blockchain and IoT innovations require dedicated experts to manage their unique security challenges.
Taking all these factors into account, is there a particular number we can assign to the average security team size in Indian IT enterprises?
Determining the Optimal Cybersecurity Team Size
A behemoth like Wipro, for example, has 9,000+ cybersecurity specialists across 12 cyber-defense centres covering 60+ countries. Yet, for medium to large enterprises, security teams normally vary between 10 to 50 people, depending on factors like industry security benchmarks, regulatory environments, and quality of hires.
The latter is especially relevant because India is currently amid an extreme cybersecurity skills shortage. In an ISACA report sponsored by Adobe, 40% of respondents in India said their cybersecurity teams are understaffed, while 69% said they have difficulties when it comes to retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals. It is a situation so precarious, that demand for cybersecurity personnel in India surpasses the worldwide average by 9%.
How to Build a Robust Cybersecurity Team in India
Understaffed teams can create significant security gaps that attackers are eager to exploit. To counteract this, consider these three viable routes:
Route 1: Cultivate a Cybersecurity Culture Across Your Organization
A crucial factor when it comes to defining the size of Indian IT security staffing is the integration of security in other teams. You must aim to build cross-functional teams with leads that keep security as a key consideration in all their tasks and workflows. This will ensure that a robust security culture permeates throughout your entire organization.
If this is achieved, you can create a lean, efficient cybersecurity team, with fewer members but higher seniority and maturity. That way, you can work around any possible cybersecurity budget constraints.
Route 2: Leverage AI & ML Effectively
When cybersecurity teams are stretched thin, automation becomes vital. What if you could take some of the more menial activities out of their hands so that they can concentrate on more complex tasks and strategic initiatives?Leveraging AI & ML in Indian cybersecurity teams allows organizations to automate routine tasks—such as log monitoring, patch management, and alert summarization—freeing up personnel to focus on complex strategic initiatives. With cyberattacks also using the same AI-led tactics in their strategies, this route is becoming more and more of a necessity. Automation can be used to streamline organizational tasks like:
- Log monitoring
- Patch management
- Alert summarizations
Route 3: Outsource Cybersecurity Services
Ultimately, maintaining a robust cybersecurity team involves a lot of investment in terms of both tech and human capital. This could prove to be a crutch for organizations looking to rapidly expand. That’s why companies are increasingly looking to outsource parts of their cybersecurity arm, from SOC-as-a-service to managed access management to external ethical hackers conducting penetration testing.
Choosing the right technology partner is crucial to realizing all the benefits that outsourcing your cybersecurity can bring:
- It is cost-effective, as you no longer have to spend on physical investments or constant cybersecurity hires.
- You now have a flexible, scalable solution that can adapt real-time to changing threats and environments.
- You get to leverage the expertise of best-in-class security experts who work round the clock to fortify your IT infrastructure.
Final Thoughts
Determining the right cybersecurity team size India is a dynamic process that must account for rapid digitization, evolving cyber threats, and a tightening regulatory environment. Whether you’re addressing the cybersecurity skills shortage in India or navigating cybersecurity staffing challenges in Indian IT companies, the key is to adopt a balanced strategy that integrates robust in-house capabilities with smart technology solutions and strategic outsourcing.
At iValue, we understand these challenges and offer comprehensive cybersecurity solutions tailored to the unique demands of Indian enterprises. If you’re looking for expert guidance on building an optimal cybersecurity team, click here to set up a demo and experience our SOC services.
