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NASSCOM partners Symantec for building cyber security skills in India
MUMBAI: The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and global cyber security company Symantec have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for building cyber security skills in India.
The initiative aims to develop world-class skilled and certified professionals. The MoU was signed in the presence of NASSCOM president R. Chandrashekhar and Symantec president and CEO Michael A. Brown.
The development is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call at NASSCOM’s silver jubilee in March 2015 to focus on global cyber security challenges. Sector Skill Council (SSC) NASSCOM and DSCI along with Symantec will focus on developing five prioritized job roles in cyber security along with a master training program. Additionally, the program also intends to fund the scholarship for 1000 women undertaking the cyber security certification by NASSCOM.
Chandrashekhar said, “This is a positive step towards our objective to address the cyber security issue at large. This partnership will enable the industry to map existing and future skills requirements and plug its demand-supply gap. The program will also focus on developing pioneering models for scaling capacity and enhancing employability through assessments and certifications. We would like to thank Symantec for coming forward for this crucial initiative.”
With the rise of Internet related crimes, cyber security has become an area of focus for NASSCOM and its member organizations, and the association has launched several initiatives to promote data protection, security, privacy codes and standards. Also, the role of security professionals over the years has undergone major transformation, leading to a sharp rise in the need for a larger and more dynamic cyber security workforce. The demand for the workforce is expected to rise to six million (globally) by 2019, with projected shortfall of 1.5 million. Symantec and NASSCOM have collectively decided to address this issue. This initiative also aims to facilitate internships and placement of the certified candidates.
Brown added, “With the rise in targeted attacks aimed at Indian enterprises and consumers, cyber security has become more important than ever before. As a leader in cyber security, Symantec is deeply committed to addressing the workforce skills gap in this area. With the partnership with NASSCOM, we are taking the first big step towards building cyber security skills in India. The initiative will also facilitate internships and placement of certified candidates, and is an extension in India of the Symantec Cyber Career Connection (SC3), a program launched last year to attract and train young adults and women in the field of cyber security.”
With the global IT Security market estimated to be $77 billion in 2015 and grow at over eight per cent annually, NASSCOM has been actively working towards building capacity for the sector.
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Zoff Foods extends Shilpa Shetty partnership into ninth year
Spice brand reinforces trust-led positioning amid growth and funding push.
MUMBAI: Nine years, one flavour and the recipe clearly still works. Zoff Foods has extended its long-running association with Shilpa Shetty, marking nine consecutive years of her as brand ambassador as the company scales its presence across Indian households. What began as a digital-first collaboration has gradually evolved into a defining element of the brand’s identity. Over nearly a decade, the partnership has mirrored Zoff’s own journey from an emerging challenger to a fast-growing FMCG player with a widening footprint across e-commerce, quick commerce and offline retail channels.
The logic behind the continuity is straightforward. In a category where trust and familiarity drive purchase decisions, particularly in spices and ready-to-cook segments, long-term associations tend to carry more weight than short bursts of visibility. Shetty’s positioning as a fitness-conscious, health-aware public figure aligns with the brand’s emphasis on purity and quality factors that are increasingly shaping consumer choices in modern Indian kitchens.
The extension also comes at a time when Zoff Foods is entering a more aggressive growth phase. The company recently raised $2 million in a Pre-Series B funding round led by JM Financial Private Equity, with participation from Aman Gupta, signalling a push towards expanding distribution, product innovation and market reach.
Company executives have positioned the continued partnership as a strategic anchor amid this expansion, reinforcing brand recall while entering new markets. For Shetty, the association remains rooted in shared values around authenticity and ingredient integrity attributes that resonate strongly with increasingly mindful consumers.
In a market crowded with new-age brands and shifting loyalties, Zoff’s approach suggests a different playbook: build slowly, stay consistent, and let familiarity do the heavy lifting. Because sometimes, in both branding and cooking, it’s not about reinventing the dish, it’s about perfecting it over time.
