Guwahati, Feb 25: Veeam Software, the Data and AI Trust Company, convened leaders from government, academia, and industry at the Bharat Cyber Suraksha – North-East Cyber Resilience & AI Transformation Summit in Guwahati. The summit marks a significant milestone in strengthening cyber resilience, digital trust, and artificial intelligence (AI) readiness across India’s North-Eastern states.
As data becomes increasingly valuable to organisations, cyber risks continue to escalate. With 90% of affected companies reporting attempts to access or corrupt backup data, the need for comprehensive data resilience strategies that go beyond prevention has become critical.
Launch of North-East Cyber Resilience & Digital Readiness Report 2025
A key highlight of the summit was the launch of the “Bharat Cyber Suraksha – North-East Cyber Resilience & Digital Readiness Report 2025,” developed in collaboration with the Northeast India Public Policy Forum.
The report provides a data-driven assessment and practical roadmap to:
-
Enhance cybersecurity frameworks
-
Protect citizen data
-
Build regional skills pipelines
-
Strengthen cloud and digital infrastructure
-
Improve compliance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act and Computer Emergency Response Team–India (CERT-In) requirements
The report also supports institutions in building secure foundations for AI-powered governance and services.
Strengthening University Partnerships
To accelerate skills development, Veeam exchanged Memorandums of Intent with:
-
Assam Science and Technology University
-
Assam Don Bosco University
-
Assam Down Town University
These partnerships aim to establish Cyber Resilience Centres of Excellence, integrate industry-aligned cybersecurity and AI curricula, and create job-ready talent across the North-East. The initiative envisions universities as hubs of digital trust and innovation.
Launch of “Main Hoon Saksham” Awareness Drive
The summit also launched the “Bharat Cyber Suraksha – Main Hoon Saksham” awareness and skilling initiative in collaboration with Women in Cloud, NxtGen, and ecosystem partners.
The program will deliver:
-
Cyber awareness campaigns
-
Hands-on training modules
-
AI-enabled security skills development
-
Faculty and student capacity-building initiatives
The goal is to build a secure, skilled, and AI-ready workforce in Northeast India.
Leadership Perspectives
Sandeep Bhambure, Vice President & Managing Director, India & SAARC, Veeam Software, said:
“India’s digital expansion is rapidly extending beyond metros, and the North-East represents a critical frontier for secure and AI-led growth. As digital services scale across governance, education, and enterprise ecosystems, cyber resilience must become foundational. Recent Ministry of Home Affairs data shows over 47,000 reported cyber incidents across the eight North-Eastern states, highlighting the urgency of region-specific resilience frameworks. By launching the North-East Cyber Resilience Report, partnering with leading universities, and flagging off Main Hoon Saksham, we are combining structured resilience frameworks such as the Veeam Data Resiliency Maturity Model (DRMM), skilling, and awareness to help institutions across the region become cyber-ready, AI-ready, and future-ready.”
Dr. Jeevan Basavaraj, IAS, Secretary, Department of Innovation, Incubation, and Startup, Government of Assam, added:
“Assam is strengthening its innovation and digital governance ecosystem at a rapid pace. Ensuring resilience, trusted data systems, and AI-ready talent will be key to sustaining this momentum. The Bharat Cyber Suraksha Summit provides an important platform for collaboration to secure the North-East’s digital future and position Guwahati as a strategic technology hub.”
Chaitra Vedullapalli, Co-founder & President, Women in Cloud, said:
“India’s digital acceleration must be matched with inclusive cyber resilience and AI readiness at the grassroots. Universities are the backbone of digital trust and innovation. Through the ‘Main Hoon Saksham’ initiative, we are enabling access to global skilling frameworks, industry pathways, and AI-powered security capabilities.”
Advancing the Saksham Bharat Mission
The summit builds on Veeam’s Bharat Cyber Suraksha – Saksham Bharat mission, which aims to:
-
Skill over 100,000 professionals in data protection, ransomware recovery, and AI-powered cybersecurity
-
Establish more than 100 Cyber Resilience Centres of Excellence
-
Enable certifications and career pathways in cybersecurity and DevSecOps
This initiative aligns with Veeam’s national commitment to the “6 Ps” of a cyber-resilient India: Partnerships, People, Platforms, Policy, Progress, and Purpose.
By extending this mission to the North-East, Veeam reinforces its commitment to ensuring that India’s digital transformation remains secure, inclusive, and resilient across every region.