PwC and NIIT University join hands to offer Master's in Cybersecurity

 The growing cyber-attacks and scarcity of the cybersecurity experts in the country increase the need of specialized programs. To fill the gaps in the area, PwC and NIIT University took a strategic step to offer master program based on globally recognized framework.

The major consultancy firm PwC India and NIIT University enter into a partnership to create a pool of talent in cybersecurity space by offering a master program in cybersecurity. The academic experts from the university and cybersecurity expert professionals from PwC India have developed a first of its kind work integrated two-year program. The main driver of master program is industry-led research in the cybersecurity space.

The program focuses on security analytics, industrial control system, threat intelligence, and vulnerability analysis. The program fee is over INR 4 lakhs.

The two parties decided to jointly select the candidates and expert faculty from within the firm and from the industry will train these candidates. In the second year of the program, candidates will join an onsite training provided by PwC India.

In addition, PwC India will provide a two-year scholarship to the candidates towards maintenance costs.

The first batch for this master program will commence in July 2016.

To grab the opportunity created by the shortage of cybersecurity talent and high demand from all the sectors and government, NIIT and PwC offers a solution to the market through this program. The program expects to create talent which can eliminate the challenges posed by hackers.

According to PwC India, it has close to 300 people in the cybersecurity team and it plans to increase the team size to over 3000 people in the coming 4-5 years.

TechSci Research recent report “Global Cyber Security Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020” depicts that the rising complexity of cyberattacks is a constant concern for enterprises and government organization. To combat the challenge, organizations need the right talent to safeguard their cyberspace. The step towards developing an expert pool of cybersecurity talent in India expect to improve the cybersecurity stance in the country and positively contribute towards global cybersecurity market.