Trends impacting ICT industry with security on demand

S. Mohini Ratna
Editor
VARINDIA

IT is undergoing never-like-before metamorphosis, thanks to the emerging technology developments in the form of cloud, Big Data, social media and mobility. It is expected that India will have around 91 million active social media users before December 31, 2013.

In India, mobile gadgets are the favoured means of accessing internet. Approximately 19.8 million users in the urban areas use mobile devices to access social media sites. This has been made possible by increasing internet penetration and various affordable data plans launched by service providers throughout the length and breadth of the country. According to one report, by June 2014, there would be an estimated 243 million internet users in the country, overtaking the US as the world's second-largest internet base after China. The US currently has an estimated 207 million internet users, while China has 300 million.

One of the most "connected" countries in the world, India is a prime target of cyber villains. With such phenomenal growth, it has been hey days for the cybercriminals who use state-of-the-art, blended techniques that leverage both web and email channels to deliver malware that has never been seen before and can live undetected for months. Hacking has become a growing threat to the Indian IT industry. Some recent data theft cases by hackers have made India's $100-billion IT industry a primary target. The number of cyber attacks and incidents in India in the past year has led to increased concern about cybersecurity. There has been an exponential increase in the cyber attacks against Indian websites in 2013. This is because the government has built a credible cyber defence system. While cloud is a compelling proposition, security remains a concern which prevents the adoption of the cloud services model.

Another thing that comes to my mind is how the e-commerce industry is transforming traditional retail and its impact on the retail shops and shopping hubs in the country. Though in a nascent stage, e-commerce is showing all signs of rapid growth. With the dramatic changes in the shopping trends being witnessed in recent times, it is to be hoped that with estimated revenues of around US$10 billion, Indian e-commerce industry is all set to become the next big revolution. As is obvious, the shoppers in the urbanized areas of India are the key drivers of the e-commerce model. Efforts are being made to invest heavily in the infrastructure so that non-metropolitan areas can be supported and it would be easy to capture the market.