Shifting cybersecurity initiatives from prevention to becoming resilient is becoming imperative

With ransomware emerging as the country’s biggest threat, Rubrik’s Abhilash Purushothaman, Vice President & General Manager (Asia) explains how partnering with Rubrik can help an organization to protect its most important asset – the data

How does Rubrik see cyber and data security evolving in India and overseas?  
We believe cyberattacks are inevitable. It’s no longer a matter of if but when. Unfortunately, many large organizations aren’t fully prepared for this reality. Infrastructure security and preventive measures alone, while critical, need to be improved. Organizations must prioritize data security as a holistic cybersecurity strategy to overcome cyberattacks like ransomware effectively. 

The non-profit Computer Crime Research Center (CCRC) predicts the cost of cybercrime will reach more than $12 trillion by 2025.  Cybercriminals are constantly developing new and more sophisticated ways to attack their victims. They are also becoming more organized and well-funded and leveraging new technologies like AI to carry out more ambitious, successful attacks.

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats to our economy, and cyberattacks are lucrative. India is among the top three most targeted countries in the APAC region, with ransomware having increased by 195% since September 2022. By 2031, ransomware attacks are forecasted to strike every 2 seconds, demanding enhanced data protection strategies. We also have to consider that ransomware attackers are usually financially motivated. There may be a political component in some cases, but many individuals responsible for the attacks are looking to profit first and foremost. In today’s increasingly digitized world, growth economies like India have become a prime target for cybercriminals. 

Rubrik is on a mission to secure the world’s data. We can help your organization protect its most valuable asset- data. If your data is secure, your business is resilient. By partnering with Rubrik, Indian organizations can ensure their digital transformation journey is secure and prosperous.

What are the key challenges in the cyber and data security domain in India and the APAC market?
It’s no longer about just encrypting the data. Double extortion ransomware has become prevalent where data is both encrypted AND exfiltrated. Businesses across India and Asia can’t operate without access to their critical data, and cybercriminals know this and use it to their economic advantage. Last quarter, we released our Rubrik Zero Labs report based on insights from more than 1,600 global CIOs, CISOs, and security practitioners - supplemented by Rubrik internal data.

Our research also showed that nearly every company has already been infiltrated by a cyberattack: 99% of global IT and security leaders were made aware of a cyberattack an average of 52 times in 2022 – one attack per week. You cannot stop the cyberattacks, but you can ensure your business can continue operating when faced with them. 

What are Rubrik’s plans for India in terms of expansion, investment and tie-ups? 
Rubrik continues to invest in India. Our state-of-the-art R&D facility in Bangalore, is crucial to our operations. This team, comprising software engineers, architects, product management teams, and global support teams, is at the forefront of developing innovative solutions for data security.

We see a massive opportunity in India, which has witnessed an enormous digital explosion in recent years. This rapid digitization has led to significant data security challenges, further compounded by new industry regulations. In this context, we see a tremendous opportunity to help our customers secure their data from threat actors.

What is the significance of Bangalore R&D centre in Rubrik's operations globally?
We have a large R&D facility in Bangalore focused on innovating and developing the latest capabilities within the platform. Product development, product management, customer support, customer experience, and global ransomware recovery support are all co-located and housed under one roof within our Bangalore facility. Our India go-to-market teams have been significantly ramped up recently. We have active sales and presales teams across Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, helping our global customer base secure their mission-critical data from ransomware attacks.

India is a focus market for Rubrik across APAC. Bipul Sinha (CEO, Chairman, and Co-Founder of Rubrik) recently announced our USD 10 Mn Ransomware warranty offering in India. Rubrik believes in the importance of collective action against the growing threat of cybercrimes. 

Understanding, defending against, and preventing future cyber threats is complex. It is becoming increasingly clear that artificial intelligence and machine learning are a crucial part of the puzzle for increasing data security. These technologies will be utilized in a variety of ways - 

●    For anomaly detection, threat intelligence, behavioral analysis, predictive analysis, and automated response
●    Employing AI for advanced threat detection and response, augmenting human capabilities, and using AI to develop countermeasures. We must now fight fire with fire as cybercriminals specifically use AI for sophisticated attacks like phishing, evasion, and automated malware generation.
●    For a robust ecosystem with our strategic product integrations and GTM relationships with OEM partners like Microsoft and Zscaler to use our combined capabilities that will work together and help our customers through AI-Powered Cyber Recovery.
●    Many modern capabilities, especially cyber recovery for cloud-native environments that digital native start-ups leverage, continue to be designed and co-developed out of our Bangalore facility.