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Techthat
In the future, almost all business will take place over the Internet, and vital information will be exchanged. Added to this, the level of awareness among Indian companies of securing their data is very low. This creates an immense need for well-trained and qualified information security professionals. DHARMESH MEHTA, technical analyst with software firm Mastek
At eight years, he was hooked to the wonders of the Internet. At 20, Yash Kadakia runs an IT company whose revenue is likely to exceed Rs 1 crore this year. That's the kind of moolah sloshing around in the field of information security. It could be yours...Reporting: Nazim Khan Photographs: Hemant PadalkarMumbai
LAST YEAR, when the vice president of a company in Mumbai walked into his conference room to hear a presentation by an Internet security expert, he could not hide his surprise when he saw a 20-year-old youngster waiting for him.
The youngster claimed he would help the company plug loopholes and security flaws in its website and intranet (the network that links a company's computers) and offered the vice president a contract. The sceptical vice president asked the youngster, Yash Kadakia, to show him what he had in 15 minutes flat as he had a flight to catch. Kadakia turned his laptop on, and in minutes, had gained access to the vice president's corporate e-mail account, passwords and other vital information. He got the contract. A second-year BSc student at Vidyalankar Institute in Matunga, Kadakia is the chief technical officer of Security Brigade, which he co-founded with his partner 18year-old Vineet Kumar, another teenage prodigy in IT Security, in June 2006. The company provides a host of services such as testing the vulnerability of a company's web applications, corporate computer network and database to hacking, and making companies' web sites and Internet transactions secure. It has nine employees on its roll, who operate from Kadakia's home-office, and earns an annual revenue of Rs 1 crore from work it does for blue chip Indian clients such as housing mortgage company HDFC, software services company Infosys and Tata Steel and international firms such as US companies software giant Microsoft and anti-virus firm Symantec. "My tryst with the Internet started way back in 1995 when I was an eight-year-old kid," said Kadakia. "My quest for knowledge about all things related to the Internet never died down." He started by playing computer games and rapidly proceeded to create small websites thanks to tutorials and resources he found on the Internet. By then, he had also come across an Indian hacking group called ‘Indian Snakes' and befriended one of their members, who asked him to learn computer languages like Java, C, and Perl. Kadakia did a course at software training institute NIIT, and by the age of 13, knew he wanted to pursue a career in IT. At 15, he started a company called Deadbolt Technologies, which provided software development services, developed websites and managed them for clients, which he shut down after starting his second venture. He soon became a board member of the National Anti-Hacking Group, a non-profit whose aim is to create awareness about information security. The group has 4,000 volunteers and a core group of 50 ethical hackers. The managing director is Kadakia's partner Vineet Kumar, who had by then shot to fame when Bill Gates invited him to Delhi for a tête-à-tête when he visited India in 2006. Soon after that, Kadakia and Kumar founded their information security company . While the anti-hacking group does social work like conducting seminars and awareness campaigns about network security all over India, the duo's company does the commercial part by signing professional contracts with companies. So how did he manage to build up such an impressive client list? "I came across certain flaws in the websites of Amazon and Microsoft which allowed a hacker to intrude into their networks and snoop in on users' information," he said. So he sent them email. They ignored it. So he published details on his blog. That caught the attention of international tech magazines. The two giants soon emailed him. His mode of functioning is straightforward. Kadakia gives a company a proposal for maintaining and securing its website. If it accepts, the two sign a contract. "We charge between Rs 10,000 and Rs 60,000 per day per person, depending on the kind of work," he said. If the project involves many people, Kadakia will rope in volunteers from NAG and pay them on an hourly basis. Little wonder then that the company's turnover ran into lakhs last year. This year he expects it to be about Rs 1 crore. His priority now is to set up an independent office in Mumbai and increase staff. The company has recently begun creating software for network security and training companies on Internet safety . "I am now looking out for investors and venture capital," said Kadakia, hoping to expand. Kadakia may sound hard-charging when he talks about business, but going by his friends' accounts, he makes up for that when he's with them and the twentysomething in him takes over. Said his close friend Gaurav Mehta: "He's the most jovial guy around. When with us, he loves to talk much, eat much and generally enjoy life. You can wake him up at 4 am and he will list the name of all the eateries in his neighbourhood and what's special about their cuisines." ------------------------------------------------------- Case study a day in his life 6:00 am: Gets up and prepares to go to college.This is when he hasn't been up all night working. Sometimes he works all night and still goes to college if there's something important. 7:00 am: Goes to college, attends lectures. In between lecture and during breaks, he spends time with his friends in the canteen. Plays games in the college ground. 2:00 pm: College gets over. He chats with his friends one last time and drives back to his home-cum-office at Kemps Corner and gets into his business mode. 3:00 pm: This time is reserved for meetings, calling up clients, doing and delegating work if he has called in volunteers from the antihacking non-profit group to work on any project. 6:00 pm: He surfs the net to keep abreast of industry trends. 9:00 pm: Dinner. After that, finish whatever work remains for the day. 3:00 am: Sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Case Study CHATROOM: YASH KADAKIA ON HIS DOUBLE LIFE Often, I end up working all night and have to attend lectures the next morning. How do you balance your studies and professional life? My work does take a toll on my studies sometimes. Often, I end up working all night and have to attend lectures the next morning. But my college is very understanding and has never had an issue. I also hang out with friends at college and use Sundays and holidays to socialise. Have you had a personal experience of an intrusion? My brother purchased an iPod last year from an online shopping website. A popular hacking group called Spykids snooped in on his information, by breaking into the shopping company's systems, and the next month he was charged for things he didn't buy Even though . I could have tried to trace the hackers, that meant breaking the law myself: I needed to break into the company's system myself. So we reported it to the police's cyber cell. Nothing happened. What challenges does the Indian industry face? There is a lack of infrastructure for IT in India. Bandwidth costs are high. A 50Mbps Internet connection, in say Japan, costs as much as a 256 Kbps line in India. Security awareness is low. Between 90 and 95 per cent of banking and online shopping sites have vulnerabilities in them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Case study rapidfire Star sign: Cancer What books inspire you? The Google Story by David Vice and Mark Malseed What films inspire you? Remember The Titans, Pursuit of Happiness, Lage Raho Munnabhai Your advice to youngsters: "The world is an oyster, but you don't crack it open on a mattress." What is your biggest fear? Time What do you want written on your tombstone? BRB (Be right back) How important is money to you? Although the importance of money cannot be blindsided, I think passion serves as a far more effective driving force. Chak De India or Om Shanti Om: Chak De India Facebook or Orkut: Facebook-lesser of the two evils. Favourite music: Alternative/Hip-Hop ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Case Study HOME RUN: BULLISH ON INDIA'S IT SECTOR, HAMID FAROOQUI CAME BACK FROM THE US Hamid was interested in computers and the Internet way back when most people could not differentiate between e-mail and a web address. HAMID FAROOQUI, 30, is the chief technology officer of Zarca Interactive, a company that cre ates online surveys for compa nies and non-profit organisa tions, such as surveys on cus tomer satisfaction and employ ee engagement. The company also owns mouthshut.com, an online information exchange website on which users can post their reviews about various products. He helped his brother Faisal start this venture in 2000. Hamid had an interest in computers and the Internet back when most people could not differentiate between e-mail and a web address. This was during the early '90s. He was then do ing his Bachelor of Engineering at Saboo Siddik College, majoring in production, a branch of mechanical engineering. The realisation that his true calling lay in computers came a year after he graduated, and it led him to apply to various US universities for admission to a masters degree in computer science. He eventually went to State University of New York at Binghamton. After completing his Masters, he decided not to pursue a PhD, and worked with software giant Oracle in its travel software division in Boston. It was during Hamid's stint in the US that he realised that things were rapidly changing back home. Indian entrepreneurs were launching various products and service companies were flourishing, and the world was taking notice. Having helped his brother start the web ven ture mouthshut.com, and as its client list expanded, Hamid had no choice but to come down from the US to help his brother manage the company's growth. Since 2006, he's been associated with the company in the role of chief technology. Mouthshut.com today has more than two million registered users from India, and gets more than a million page views a day . His day's schedule is hectic: he wakes up at 8 am and often goes to sleep at 2 am the next day . Since the company is in expansion mode, he now oversees hiring and ensures that the right talent is recruited. The company today has more than 100 employees in India and physical presence in the Gulf, Singapore and United States. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- news you can use - Show me the money
This is the ladder in the software sub-field, which is the largest. Designations may differ from company to company, but the stages are roughly the same.
TRAINEE ENGINEER This is a fresher who develops software and programmes. His or her primary area of work is coding. Pay: Rs 2 lakh a year SENIOR DEVELOPER This is someone who has at least two to three years of experience. He or she looks after products developed by trainee engineers and uses his or her expertise to ensure that the product is good. Pay: Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh a year. PROJECT LEADER This person usually heads a team of five to 10 people and oversees the development of software and has worked between four and six years. Pay: Rs 6 lakh to Rs 8 lakh a year. PROJECT MANAGER This is someone who works intensively with prospective clients and gets work for the company. He or she usually has about 10 years experience. Pay: Rs 12 lakh a year. MANAGEMENT POSITION The designation can vary from general manager to chief executive officer. This person takes major strategic decisions such whether to diversify, how to cut costs, etc, in consultation with a management team. He or she keeps a strong watch on the company's financial performance. Pay: Upwards of Rs 20 lakh a year. ---------------------------------------------------------------- SKILLS You need very specialised, technical skills to enter the field. These may vary for each sub-sector. To enter the software segment, you need a sound knowledge of programming languages such as Java, C, C++, Visual Basic, .NET, while to enter the information security sector, one needs to know programming languages as well as gain an understanding of how data is managed and transferred over computer networks. "Technical skills are entry barriers without which you cannot enter the industry," said Madhu Bhojwani, CEO of Emmay HR. "But as one climbs up the career ladder, the emphasis is increasingly on soft skills such as communication, leadership, speed, turn-around time, teamwork, etc." -------------------------------------------------------------------- TRAINING Information Security A network professional can specialise in information security or ethical hacking by doing specialised courses. Below is a list of sites of various institutes that offer courses and training for passing tests that certify you as an ethical hacker. MANIPAL INSTITUTE, MANIPAL, KARNATAKA A correspondence e-learning course Web site: www.mase.manipal.edu/mase.htm Tel: 080-2520-2304, ext 523 Fees: Rs 7,500 each for three levels SEDULITY GROUPS, DELHI E-learning workshops on ethical hacking. Web site: www.sedulitygroups.com/elearn/ethicalhacking.php Tel: 93129-03095, 98114-85729, 9811572430 Fees: Rs 8,500 >> More on www.hindustantimes.com/ hotnewcareers --------------------------------------------------------------------- GO GLOBAL If there is one sector that is a sure route to a job abroad, it is IT. Many professionals first go abroad to work on projects for overseas clients and then jump ship. Others apply directly to overseas companies looking to hire Indians. But today, with salaries in India fast catching up with those of companies abroad, especially in the Gulf, not everyone in the field is set on going abroad eventually, said said Satish Doshi, managing director of Sampoorna Computer People, which specialises in IT recruitment. Also, in a bid to diversify geographically, Indian companies have been trying to make inroads into Europe and Africa, where because of linguistic and other reasons, our professionals may not want to live. --------------------------------------------------------------------- PLUSES AND MINUSES 1. Since the sector has been continuously growing and has a good future, there are lots of opportunities. Pay packages are attractive and on par with almost any other sector. 2. Due to a talent crunch, there are still not enough people at middle- and higher-level positions. As a result, promotions take place very quickly. 3. Technology changes rapidly and one has to constantly renew one's skills. 4. Very tight deadlines lead to high stress levels. 5.Odd and long hours. The divorce rates are high among couples in which both husband and wife work in the sector, anecdotal evidence suggests. >> More on www.hindustantimes.com/ hotnewcareers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE INDUSTRY - IT\'s big and growing
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