Secure Synergy forays into security training arena

Punita Jasrotia / New Delhi

Felix Mohan

Considering that maintaining information and network security is a continuous process, security consulting services company Secure Synergy has recently launched CISAT (Centre for Information Security and Assurance Technologies), an advanced lab for information security. It will address the need for increasing information security requirements. The centre will address the Indian, the Middle East and ASEAN markets.

Company sources said Secure Synergy was planning to invest approximately Rs 5 crore in the education initiative, which comprises the centre lab, proof of concept centre, training curriculum and advanced technologies team. “With the rapid spread of malicious code and various security vulnerabilities, security can no longer be restricted to the data centre or the desktop. What is needed is effective training for network administrator/managers and technical support staff, which will help in the proactive management of the network,” said Secure Synergy CEO Felix Mohan. “The Indian security market is estimated to grow at 80 percent this year and our initiative will cater to the fast changing security landscape,” he added.

Emphasising on the need for IT security education, Mohan said, “Security threats are constantly changing (with the spurt in social engineering attacks) and Indian IT managers are spending most of their time preventing attacks or dealing with threats/vulnerabilities that have slipped through. This has resulted in the emergence of an increased educational requirement.”

The courses, expected to be launched soon, are targeted at information policy makers, security technology implementers, network architects and end-users of technology, with the objective of raising the overall awareness of information security practices. The courses also cover skill sets ranging from entry-level information security and broadbased security essentials, to advanced subject areas like penetration testing, vulnerability analysis, network analysis, vulnerability identification, security operating systems, VPNs and information security policies.

According to Mohan, the course offerings have been divided mainly into two areas. The first offering is titled under ‘IS security courses’, which are designed to create awareness amongst users, enhance skill sets amongst IT and security professionals and educate IT managers and top management about IS security and information assurance. The second one is a course on network management, which is targeted at IT professionals who are looking to improve their knowledge of sniffer technologies, trouble-shooting methodologies and protocol analysis of new and emerging technologies like wireless LAN. However, these courses are modular and have been consciously kept vendor-neutral. The company is also tying up with a bank to provide financial assistance to those who are interested in joining such courses.

Based on the channel distribution model Secure Synergy has tied-up with Tech Pacific, who will have authorised training partners (ATPs) in nine cities, including metro cities and cities like Bangalore, Cochin, Ahmedabad and Pune. By the end of this year Secure Synergy plans to have an educational presence in close to 27 cities. “There would be strict norms for quality. We plan to follow the ‘train the trainer’ approach, wherein faculty from ATPs will be trained in our CISAT,” informed Mohan. For this the company will follow a revenue-sharing model and will do roadshows across the country.

The company is initially targeting 300 students every quarter, excluding the numbers generated by the ATPs. A major chunk of this business is expected to come from the ‘awareness’ course, which may gain popularity in the government and the SME sectors.