Panel Discussion on Cyber Hygiene

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India

Panel Discussion on Cyber Hygiene – 28th February 2021

On February 28th, AMCHAM’s Eastern Region organized a virtual panel discussion on Cyber Hygiene. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Das, Joint Secretary, IT&E and State Information & Security Officer, Government West Bengal, was the chief guest and opened the discussions. He spoke about the policies that the government has put in place and discussed the various aspects of cyber hygiene. Ms. Priti Ray, Partner, Cyber & Strategic Services, Deloitte South Asia, moderated the session. The panelists included Prof. Triveni Singh, IPS, SP Cyber Crime, UP Police, Lucknow Uttra Pradesh, Mr. Vishak Raman, Director, Security Business, CISCO India & SAARC, Mr. Rakshit Tandon, Founder/Director, HackerShala/CodesNag, (Hackdev Technology Pvt Ltd.) Consultant – Internet and Mobile Association of India, Advisor – Cyber Peace Foundation and Dr. Davina Pruitt-Mentle, Lead for Academic Engagement, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE).

Ms. Priti Ray, in her opening comments, spoke about the digital era which is enabled by super disruptors like mobile, analytics, cloud, social media, and the new exponentials like AI, genomics, connected homes, connected factories, connected and virtual healthcare and virtual reality, to name a few. She said that this was resulting in a digital surge and increased connectivity, which is giving rise to threats from hackers and activists. Organizations have experienced a huge spate of cyber attacks, be it social engineering attacks, phishing, ransomware attacks and identity thefts. She spoke about the rise in third party breaches, theft of intellectual property, compromised devices, etc. As much as 35% of breaches in 2020 came from TP breaches, compromised credentials, and cloud misconfiguration. She spoke about the Pandemic which has also given opportunity for sponsored attacks on targeted nations and states. She spoke about the exposure to vulnerability and said there is a need for instilling cyber hygiene practices be it in our daily lives when using social media, wearables, and connected devices, or when logging in from home or for protection of office or factory set ups.

Mr. Vishak Raman spoke about how he envisaged the cyber security industry moving and the trends that are being seen globally in cyber protection. He spoke about how during the pandemic, all organizations had to shift to remote working almost immediately and that security may have been compromised. However, over a period he said that these issues were addressed, and companies are managing to keep their remote infrastructure secure. He also touched upon how the role of technology in inculcating cyber hygiene practice among the users and give some advice on data protection. Mr. Rakshit Tandon spoke about how focusing on the younger generation was essential as they use of lot of social media and should know the netiquettes which were especially important. He discussed the vulnerabilities of downloading applications and the cyber hygiene that should be embraced by the netizens. Mr. Triveni Singh spoke about the latest trends in cyber crime and how the police were investigating it. He touched upon how the corporates, citizens and mostly sr. citizens were getting victimized and talked about his experience in solving these crimes. He said that there is a website for reporting cyber crimes and one can track the actions taken until there is a resolution.

Dr. Davina Pruitt Mentle spoke about the National Initiative for Cyber Security Education (NICE) and some of the key features of the NICE framework. NICE provides a set of building blocks for describing the tasks, knowledge, and skills that are needed for cybersecurity work performed by individuals and teams. Through these building blocks, the NICE Framework enables organizations to develop their workforces to perform cybersecurity work and it helps learners to explore cyber security work and to engage in appropriate learning activities to develop their knowledge and skills. Ms. Amada Kidwai, Regional Director – Eastern Region, AMCHAM introduced the speakers. Mr. Gulshan Sachdev, Chairman – Eastern Region, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Quaker Chemical, gave the welcome address while Mr. Joydeep Datta Gupta, Vice Chairman – Eastern Region, AMCHAM and Partner, Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu India LLP, gave the concluding remarks and vote of thanks.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Panel Discussion on Cyber Hygiene

On February 28th, AMCHAM’s Eastern Region organized a virtual panel discussion on Cyber Hygiene. Mr. Sanjay Kumar Das, Joint Secretary, IT&E and State Information & Security Officer, Government West Bengal, was the chief guest and opened the discussions. He spoke about the policies that the government has put in place and discussed the various aspects of cyber hygiene. Ms. Priti Ray, Partner, Cyber & Strategic Services, Deloitte South Asia, moderated the session. The panelists included Prof. Triveni Singh, IPS, SP Cyber Crime, UP Police, Lucknow Uttra Pradesh, Mr. Vishak Raman, Director, Security Business, CISCO India & SAARC, Mr. Rakshit Tandon, Founder/Director, HackerShala/CodesNag, (Hackdev Technology Pvt Ltd.) Consultant – Internet and Mobile Association of India, Advisor – Cyber Peace Foundation and Dr. Davina Pruitt-Mentle, Lead for Academic Engagement, National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE).

Ms. Priti Ray, in her opening comments, spoke about the digital era which is enabled by super disruptors like mobile, analytics, cloud, social media, and the new exponentials like AI, genomics, connected homes, connected factories, connected and virtual healthcare and virtual reality, to name a few. She said that this was resulting in a digital surge and increased connectivity, which is giving rise to threats from hackers and activists. Organizations have experienced a huge spate of cyber attacks, be it social engineering attacks, phishing, ransomware attacks and identity thefts. She spoke about the rise in third party breaches, theft of intellectual property, compromised devices, etc. As much as 35% of breaches in 2020 came from TP breaches, compromised credentials, and cloud misconfiguration. She spoke about the Pandemic which has also given opportunity for sponsored attacks on targeted nations and states. She spoke about the exposure to vulnerability and said there is a need for instilling cyber hygiene practices be it in our daily lives when using social media, wearables, and connected devices, or when logging in from home or for protection of office or factory set ups.

Mr. Vishak Raman spoke about how he envisaged the cyber security industry moving and the trends that are being seen globally in cyber protection. He spoke about how during the pandemic, all organizations had to shift to remote working almost immediately and that security may have been compromised. However, over a period he said that these issues were addressed, and companies are managing to keep their remote infrastructure secure. He also touched upon how the role of technology in inculcating cyber hygiene practice among the users and give some advice on data protection. Mr. Rakshit Tandon spoke about how focusing on the younger generation was essential as they use of lot of social media and should know the netiquettes which were especially important. He discussed the vulnerabilities of downloading applications and the cyber hygiene that should be embraced by the netizens. Mr. Triveni Singh spoke about the latest trends in cyber crime and how the police were investigating it. He touched upon how the corporates, citizens and mostly sr. citizens were getting victimized and talked about his experience in solving these crimes. He said that there is a website for reporting cyber crimes and one can track the actions taken until there is a resolution.

Dr. Davina Pruitt Mentle spoke about the National Initiative for Cyber Security Education (NICE) and some of the key features of the NICE framework. NICE provides a set of building blocks for describing the tasks, knowledge, and skills that are needed for cybersecurity work performed by individuals and teams. Through these building blocks, the NICE Framework enables organizations to develop their workforces to perform cybersecurity work and it helps learners to explore cyber security work and to engage in appropriate learning activities to develop their knowledge and skills. Ms. Amada Kidwai, Regional Director – Eastern Region, AMCHAM introduced the speakers. Mr. Gulshan Sachdev, Chairman – Eastern Region, AMCHAM and Managing Director, Quaker Chemical, gave the welcome address while Mr. Joydeep Datta Gupta, Vice Chairman – Eastern Region, AMCHAM and Partner, Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu India LLP, gave the concluding remarks and vote of thanks.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Interactive Session on U.S. Visas with Mr. Robert L. Batchelder, Chief Consular Section, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India

American Chamber of Commerce in India
Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India

Interactive Session on U.S. Visas with Mr. Robert L. Batchelder, Chief Consular Section, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai – 26 February 2021

On February 26th, AMCHAM’s Western Region organized a virtual interactive session on U.S. visas with Mr. Robert L. Batchelder, Chief Consular Section and Mr. Josef Burton, Consular Information Unit Chief, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai. The session commenced with Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM who set the stage through her opening remarks and went on to introduce the esteemed speakers. Through his address Mr. Robert L. Batchelder shared an overview and insights on the U.S. State Department guidelines owing to COVID-19, phased opening up of services for U.S. citizens in India, limited issuance of H1B/B1/B2 visas, student visas, drop box facility and more. He emphasized the significant need to adhere to COVID-19 protocols and also to plan application of visas well in advance of travel. Mr. Burton through an informative presentation shared the visa application process for B1/B2 visas, scheduling appointments, the process for group appointments and visa renewal under the current situation. An interactive Q&A segment followed. The event concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Ms. Surabhi Wahal.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Aviation Committee Meeting

On February 19th, AMCHAM convened the first Aviation Committee Meeting for 2021 under the leadership of Ms. Ashmita Sethi, Chairperson – Aviation Committee, AMCHAM and President & Country Head, Pratt & Whitney and Mr. Tejaswi Narasimhan, Co-Chairman – Aviation Committee, AMCHAM and Director Sales – India & S.E Asia, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, to discuss the committee’s activities for 2021. Mr. William L. Blair, Chairman – Defense Committee, AMCHAM and Vice President and Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin India joined and shared his perspective. The committee deliberated on the need for stronger global supply chains, multidimensional approach to engage with Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Finance, DPIIT, DGCA, AAI, etc. and MRO. Synergy with AMCHAM’s Defense Committee on submissions on offsets, ATF taxation and engagements with decision makers was also discussed.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Session on Smart Warehousing – an Initiative of the Supply Chain & Logistics Committee

On February 19th, AMCHAM’s Supply Chain & Logistics Committee organized a virtual session on ‘Smart Warehousing’ with global industry expert Mr. Jason Deraleau, Worldwide Industry Lead, Apple. The session commenced with Ms. Surabhi Wahal, Regional Director – Western Region, AMCHAM welcoming everyone while sharing the annual theme of the committee ‘Digitalization of Supply Chain – Building Resilience and Fostering Productivity.’ This was followed by opening remarks, setting of stage and introduction of the expert speaker by Mr. Praveen Gosain, Chairman – Supply Chain & Logistics Committee, AMCHAM and Director (Supply Chain India), Corning Technologies India Private Limited. Through an insightful presentation and dialogue Mr. Jason Deraleau delved into Apple’s technology built specifically to enhance businesses with a focus on work at warehouses. With examples and case studies he brought to light how Apple develops apps to help increase efficiency, reduce costs, create great customer experiences and help increase employee satisfaction. An interactive Q&A portion followed. The event concluded with closing remarks and a vote of thanks by Mr. Sampathkumar Chittibabu, Whole Time Director & Vice President – Corp Affairs, India, Par Formulations Pvt. Ltd.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.

Anti-Corruption & FCPA Compliance Committee: Learn n Share Session

On 18th February, the Anti-Corruption & FCPA Compliance Core Committee organized the first meeting for the year for 2021. Ms. Komple Sharma, Manager, AMCHAM, welcomed participants. Mr. Gaurav Ajmani, Chairman – Anti-Corruption & FCPA Compliance Committee, AMCHAM and Associate General Counsel: Business Conduct & Ethics, Amazon Seller Services (P) Ltd moderated the meeting. Ms. Bhawna A. Ranganadhan, Co-Chairperson – Anti-Corruption & FCPA Compliance Committee, AMCHAM and Vice President, Legal and Compliance, Genpact was present. Participants discussed compliance changes in 2020 and the whistleblowing mechanism. They also deliberated upon the agenda for 2021. The key activities would include – fireside discussion series with the Chief Compliance/Legal/Ethics Officer, FCPA e- newsletter and the 8th Annual Masterclass Series. The committee also launched three sectoral working groups under the leadership of Ms. Swati Sharma, Sr. Counsel, BAE Systems India (Services) Private Limited for defence, aerospace, heavy engineering, RnD (including manufacturing), Dr. Simrat Sohale, Associate Director, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) for healthcare and Ms. Sonali Singh, Head-Legal, Compliance & Company Secretary, Goodyear for agriculture, food processing, retail (including manufacturing). Mr. Ajmani also invited members to join the FCPA WatsApp group to exchange relevant information. The meeting concluded with closing remarks from AMCHAM thanking members for their valuable inputs.

Membership

By joining AMCHAM India, you become part of an active and dynamic Apex Chamber of U.S. Industry in India with a membership base of more than 400 American companies in India. AMCHAM is an important voice for policy advocacy, a critical source for business intelligence, a vibrant platform for networking and expanding your business.