As Indian enterprises accelerate digital transformation, the demand for specialised cybersecurity professionals has risen at a remarkable pace. What was once a niche technical function has now become a core business necessity across industries ranging from banking and retail to manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and government-linked organisations. Over the past three years, India has witnessed a steep rise in cyberattacks—ransomware, identity theft, credential compromise, and phishing—forcing organisations to rethink their cyber readiness. Experts estimate a 200–300 per cent increase in cyber incidents, with mid-sized companies emerging as key targets.
At the same time, increased cloud adoption, app-based operations, remote workforces, and AI-enabled threat vectors have widened vulnerabilities far beyond traditional IT networks. New regulatory frameworks from CERT-In, RBI, IRDAI, and the National Cyber Security Strategy have pushed companies to create dedicated security teams, formal reporting systems, and board-level oversight.
Cybersecurity is now seen as a business risk, not just a technology issue. Boardrooms and CXOs are directly involved in cybersecurity decisions, driving demand for leadership-level roles and specialised practitioners. With talent availability extremely limited, compensation levels for niche skills have surged, often 30–40 per cent higher than other technology roles.
“The new hiring wave isn’t just about generic IT security personnel. Organisations today are looking for deep specialists who can secure cloud infrastructure, build zero-trust environments, analyse advanced threats, and ensure regulatory compliance. Some of the most sought-after roles include Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Cyber Risk Leaders. Cloud Security Architects, DevSecOps Engineers and Secure Code Review Specialists, Threat Intelligence Analysts and Digital Forensics Professionals, Incident response experts, ethical hackers and data privacy Officers and AI Security Specialists,” remarked Manoj Kandoth - Founder and Director at Urjja.
As per the talent search firm Urjja, which specialises in senior and middle-management hiring, there has been a 60–70 per cent increase in cybersecurity mandates over the last 18 months. “Demand is coming not only from BFSI and technology companies but also from retail, manufacturing, logistics, and high-growth start-ups. Companies are no longer looking for generalists. They want highly specialised cybersecurity professionals who can protect cloud workloads, respond to sophisticated threats, and ensure compliance. This shift reflects a broader understanding that cybersecurity is now central to business continuity and brand reputation,” added Kandoth.
Experts point out that with AI-driven attacks, rising digital transactions, and India’s expanding digital economy, the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is expected to accelerate further. Organisations will continue building domain-specific teams, and the competition for specialised talent will intensify. Cybersecurity is no longer a support function. It has moved to the frontlines of business strategy, becoming essential to the stability and growth of India’s digital-first industries.
“As AI, cloud, and quantum technologies accelerate, cybersecurity roles are evolving faster than most industries can keep up. New specialities from AI security engineers to quantum-resilience analysts are becoming essential to protect digital ecosystems. The talent gap is widening, making continuous upskilling a business-critical priority. Cybersecurity is now a strategic capability that every organisation must invest in to stay resilient, innovative, and trusted,” explained Dharshan Shanthamurthy, Founder-CEO, SISA.
Over the last few years, cybersecurity has quietly become one of the most critical capabilities organisations are investing in. As businesses scale their digital footprint, the exposure to complex and frequent cyber threats has gone up dramatically, and that’s reshaping hiring priorities across industries.
“Every industry, whether it’s banking, manufacturing, retail, healthcare or even early-stage digital-first companies, is now exposed to far more sophisticated threats than ever before. That shift is driving specialised hiring in a big way. Because of this, the talent landscape itself has become very specialised. Beyond the conventional cybersecurity analyst or engineer, organisations today are building layered teams that bring in very distinct expertise,” Aditya Narayan Mishra, the MD and CEO of CIEL HR, told THE WEEK.
Many more specialised roles in demand include Cybersecurity Analysts, Cybersecurity Architects, Cybersecurity Engineers, Product Security Engineers, Penetration Testers, Platform Engineers focused on threat detection and incident response leads. Each of these roles brings a very distinct capability, whether it’s proactive threat hunting, secure-by-design architecture, product-level protection, or real-time incident management.
“Cybersecurity today is no longer a support function; it’s a business-critical competency. And with threat vectors evolving so rapidly, the demand for this specialised talent is only going to intensify,” pointed out Mishra.
