"INDIAN CYBERSECURITY ECOSYSTEM IS STRONG BUT NEEDS BROADER PERSPECTIVE"

In an interview with Rohit Chintapali of BW Businessworld, TAC Security founder and CEO TRISHNEET ARORA discusses Indian cybersecurity landscape, business opportunities in the space, and more. Excerpts

- Rohit Chintapali

Many CEOs and founders, particularly in India, seem to prefer international companies for cybersecurity products and services. Have you noticed a shift in this trend, with more companies opting for local solutions?

It’s a collaborative effort between both adopters and providers. By adopters I mean customers, and then providers like us. It’s a two-way street. I don’t place all the blame on adopters; providers also share some responsibility. This dynamic has always been there and will continue, though it won’t ever be fully resolved.

For example, a company like Microsoft can secure a global deal worth half a billion dollars, while a boutique company like ours struggles to secure even half a million. It is not just their reluctance; we also need to do a better job showcasing our value to encourage more companies to adopt local providers like us.

Do you think there’s hesitancy among Indian companies to invest in cybersecurity, especially compared to international firms?

I don’t see spending as a challenge in cybersecurity. For example, one of the largest banks tripled its cybersecurity budget in the last year. Within the fiscal year, they have increased their budget twice. So, the real issue isn’t the investment, but the lack of understanding around the return on investment (ROI). Companies invest money, time, and resources, but they struggle to quantify the return on that investment. Many bank CEOs, for instance, don’t have visibility on their cybersecurity posture, despite knowing how much they have spent.

At TAC Security, we address this by helping organisations quantify risk and understand how much of the threat landscape they’ve mitigated. Cybersecurity companies often use fear to sell, but we focus on demonstrating ROI, which is more effective and helps us expand our customer base.