August 20, Chennai – SISA today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SRM University in Chennai to advance cybersecurity education and workforce development in India. The partnership reinforces a shared commitment to equipping students with industry-relevant skills that prepare them for in-demand roles and help address the country's growing cybersecurity talent gap.

The urgency of this initiative stems from the stark reality India faces today. The country reported over two million incidents in 2024, that's one every 15 seconds including a significant breach every 7.5 hours. Yet even as threats multiply, India's digital economy is racing toward the $1 trillion mark by 2027–28, powered by rapid cloud adoption, IT modernization, and new regulatory mandates like the Data Protection Act.

The MoU between SISA and SRM University is a decisive step toward closing this gap. By bringing academia and industry together, the initiative is designed to provide students with structured learning pathways that combine academic rigor with real-world, hands-on experience. The collaboration was formally launched with the signing of the MoU followed by the inauguration of a Hackathon Challenge.

Speaking on the occasion, Dharshan Shanthamurthy, Founder and CEO of SISA, highlighted the transformative potential of the initiative. "At SISA, we believe that cybersecurity excellence begins with talent development. India's shortfall of skilled professionals is a challenge that threatens both digital trust and national security. With this MoU, we are not only addressing today's skill gap but also nurturing the next generation of cybersecurity innovators."

Welcoming the partnership, Dr. Revathi Venkataraman, Professor & Chairperson, School of Computing, SRMIST, stressed that cybersecurity talent cannot be built on theory alone. "Cybersecurity is not a subject you can master from textbooks. It requires immersion in real-world scenarios where threats evolve by the minute."

By aligning education with industry needs, SISA and SRM University are building a talent pipeline that is future-ready.

About SISA

SISA is a Leader in Cybersecurity Solutions for the Digital Payment Industry. As a Global Payment Forensic Investigator of the PCI Security Standards Council, we leverage forensics insights into preventive, detective, and corrective security solutions, protecting 1,000+ organizations across 40+ countries from evolving cyberthreats.