Cyber security framework for Smart Cities to be out soon: NASSCOM

INDORE: The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) will soon come out with a cyber-security framework to ensure data privacy in IT-driven initiatives Centre’s flagship Smart City project that will be implemented in 100 cities across the country.
NASSCOM vice-president (domestic, IT and e-Governance) Rama Vedashree said the association is closely working with national cyber security coordinator Dr Gulshan Rai to work out the framework for Smart Cities.
Concerns over cyber security will run high once the IT driven initiatives take shape in Smart Cities. It is necessary to come out with a cyber-security framework to ensure that data remains protected from attackers, Vedashree said at the launch of Smart City project in Indore.
Smart Cities aim to integrate multiple technological solutions in a secure fashion to manage the city’s assets and to improve the quality of life by using technology to improve the efficiency of services and meet residents’ needs. Once the IT solutions are in place, threat of cyber attacks is high.
“We have had several rounds of discussions on cyber security framework for Smart Cities and the final version of its 1st phase will be out soon,” the NASSCOM vice-president said.
Last year, NASSCOM had set-up a cyber-security task force that aims to build India as a global hub for providing cyber security solutions, developing cyber security R&D plan and develop a skilled workforce of cyber security experts.
Lauding the Smart City project, Vedashree said there is an urgent need to ensure that standards are set for Smart Cities. “NASSCOM is closely working with the ministry of urban development and the Bureau of Indian Standards to come out with standards for Smart Cities,” she said.
She said Indore has become the first to launch the Smart City initiatives and certainly has an advantage. Cities across the country are eyeing the initiatives taken in Indore so as to replicate it in their respective areas.
In Indore, NASSCOM had joined hands with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Indore Municipal Corporation to bring IT firms and different municipal corporations on a common platform to discuss Smart City solutions through day-long technical presentations and exhibition.