Bengaluru’s deep talent pool is central to our global R&D and cybersecurity innovation efforts: Devendra Rath, Arctic Wolf

As Arctic Wolf strengthens its global footprint, its India GCC in Bengaluru plays a pivotal role in driving the company’s innovation and cybersecurity strategy. In an exclusive interaction with Express Computer, Devendra Rath, India GCC Head and VP of Engineering, Arctic Wolf, shares insights into how the India GCC is integral to global R&D efforts, tapping into Bengaluru’s rich cybersecurity talent pool and vibrant technology ecosystem. Rath discusses the company’s focus on leveraging AI for proactive threat detection, enhancing operational efficiency through AI-driven MDR solutions, and addressing the growing need for cybersecurity talent. He also highlights the significance of adopting Zero Trust architecture and how Arctic Wolf’s advanced security platforms help organisations stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.

As Arctic Wolf expands its presence in India, what role does the India GCC play in the company’s global strategy, and how does it contribute to innovation in cybersecurity?

India’s cybersecurity talent ecosystem is rapidly evolving, with Bengaluru at the forefront as one of the world’s largest and most vibrant hubs for software development and security expertise. With over 1.5 million software engineers and a strong concentration of cybersecurity professionals, Bengaluru provides a deep talent pool capable of driving innovation in cloud security, AI-driven threat detection, and security automation.

At Arctic Wolf, we are committed to hiring the best engineers wherever they are in the world, and Bengaluru is a prime location for finding top-tier talent. The city’s ecosystem, bolstered by premier technical institutions, cutting-edge startups, and global technology leaders, makes it a natural choice for expanding our R&D team, providing them with real-world security challenges, and integrating them into our global R&D efforts.

With AI playing an increasing role in threat detection and response, how is Arctic Wolf leveraging AI-driven security operations to enhance proactive threat mitigation?

Arctic Wolf is using AI to make security operations more efficient by cutting down false positives, so analysts can focus on real threats instead of wasting time on unnecessary alerts. AI automation helps the SOC team quickly sort security events, prioritise threats, and respond faster, improving overall security.

With the Cylance acquisition in December 2024, Arctic Wolf added top AI researchers to its team, enhancing its Aurora Endpoint Security Suite. This AI-driven solution boosts threat detection at the endpoint level, reducing risk and automating security workflows to ease the burden on security teams.

By combining Aurora’s analytics with Cylance’s AI-powered prevention, Arctic Wolf provides stronger and smarter security operations. This means businesses can detect and stop cyber threats faster while making security teams more efficient—helping them work smarter, not harder in staying ahead of cyber risks.

Given the heightened focus on zero trust architecture and evolving compliance regulations, what strategies should organisations adopt to ensure robust security frameworks?

Zero Trust is not a product; it’s a security strategy that requires continuous monitoring, verification, and rapid response to threats. This starts with gaining visibility into the assets that need to be protected and categorising them to low, medium and high risk – the last category being the crown jewels of your organisation. Solutions like CSPM (Cloud Security Posture Management) and XDR (Extended Detection and Response) taken together can provide unified visibility across the enterprise. Once visibility has been gathered, appropriate controls must be placed to mitigate attacks and ensure compliance to various standards like HIPAA, PCI-DSS and NIST. This can be done using various mechanisms such as implementing MFA, WAAP (Web Application and API Protection), SOAR (for automated response) etc.

How do you see India’s cybersecurity talent ecosystem evolving, and what role do GCCs play in bridging the global cybersecurity skills gap?

India’s cybersecurity talent ecosystem is at a critical juncture. Despite a substantial pool of software engineers proficient in cloud development, there’s a significant shortfall in cybersecurity expertise. Estimates indicate that by 2025, India will require approximately 1 million cybersecurity professionals, yet as of 2023, the workforce comprises only about 300,000 individuals, leaving a gap of 700,000 unfilled positions.

Addressing this gap needs more than theoretical knowledge; it requires practical, hands-on experience to navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats effectively. GCCs like Arctic Wolf’s in Bengaluru are pivotal in this context. By leveraging their global operations and vast data influx, Arctic Wolf can transform engineers skilled in cloud development into adept cybersecurity professionals. The Bengaluru centre, for instance, is instrumental in advancing Arctic Wolf’s platform innovations, contributing significantly to the company’s mission to end cyber risk.

With the increasing adoption of MDR solutions, what key trends and innovations do you foresee shaping the future of cybersecurity operations?

The future of cybersecurity operations will be shaped by several key trends. One major shift is the platformisation of security, where organisations are moving away from isolated security tools and adopting integrated cybersecurity platforms. These platforms combine threat detection, response, intelligence, and analytics into a single solution, simplifying security operations and improving threat visibility. Another significant trend is AI-powered threat detection and response. While AI serves as a valuable security tool, it also presents an attack surface. Cybercriminals are increasingly leveraging AI to execute more sophisticated phishing and ransomware attacks, making AI-driven MDR solutions essential. These solutions help automate threat detection, reduce false positives, and enhance response speed. Additionally, shadow AI risks are emerging as the unsanctioned use of AI tools within enterprises creates new security vulnerabilities.

Organisations must, therefore, monitor and control AI usage to ensure compliance with AI security policies. In response to these evolving challenges, Arctic Wolf’s AI-driven MDR solutions and integrated cybersecurity platform will play a crucial role in helping organisations anticipate, adapt to, and neutralise cyber threats in real time.