More than 400 cybersecurity professionals and IT leaders gathered in Bengaluru for the VeeamON 2025 India Tour, signalling increased focus on digital skills, data protection and cyber resilience across India’s government and corporate sectors. Hosted by Veeam and supported by the Tech Observer Magazine as the media partner, the event underscored the urgent need to equip the nation’s workforce and institutions with specialised training and advanced technologies to combat evolving cyber threats.
The day began with a session on Saksham Bharat, a national initiative aimed at strengthening digital skills. Professor S R Niranjana, Vice Chairman of the Karnataka State Higher Education Council, praised the state government’s efforts to promote inclusive education and training. “Skill development is the foundation of India’s digital transformation,” he said. “Empowering citizens with relevant competencies is essential to building a workforce that can compete on the global stage.”
A high-profile panel on ‘Accelerating Skilling, Innovation and Cyber Resilience in India’ brought together experts from industry and academia. Navratan Katariya, Director of Innovation at Nasscom Centre of Excellence for IoT and AI, highlighted the importance of keeping workforce training aligned with rapid technological advances. “Skilling and innovation must progress hand in hand to create a cyber ecosystem capable of meeting dynamic threats,” he explained.
Dr Harish Pant, founder of Trikaya Cosmos, spoke on ‘Managing Wellness to Optimise Executive Functioning’, emphasising the critical role of leaders’ mental and physical well-being in making sound decisions to protect critical infrastructure and supply chains. He stressed that collaboration between government, industry and education sectors is vital to developing coordinated responses to complex cyber risks.
CMOs in the age of AI
The afternoon session explored how Chief Marketing Officers are transforming go-to-market strategies by integrating artificial intelligence, data visibility and human-centric marketing to drive business success. Behzaad Habibi, Senior Director of APJ Enterprise Marketing at Veeam Software, outlined how Veeam’s global GTM strategy, supported by AI tools and a strong brand focus, is shaping the future of marketing with efficiency and empathy.
Kamal Gulati, Chief Executive Officer of ITS Technology Solution, delivered a keynote on The Revenue Growth Playbook, detailing what sales teams require from marketing to succeed. Ajit Belani, Director and Head of Growth and Account Based Marketing at Salesforce, led a masterclass on leveraging influencers for brand advocacy, underlining the growing impact of digital ecosystems.
Two panel discussions further unpacked the interplay of technology and human insight in marketing. The first, moderated by Anjali Gupta, Founder of The Fractional CMO Co., addressed The Art and Science of Human-Centric Marketing. Participants included Jollydeep Kaur, Head of Marketing at NxtGen Datacenter and Cloud Technologies; Jude Amalore, Head of Marketing ISG at Lenovo India; Sudha Shankar, Senior Director of Marketing at Epsilon; and Nupur Gupta, Head of Marketing at Noventiq. They discussed the challenge CMOs face in balancing data-driven strategies with emotional intelligence.
The second panel, led by Behzaad Habibi, focused on AI, Automation and Advocacy: The Modern Marketer’s Toolkit. Featuring Jesika Dalal, Senior Director of Global Field Marketing Branch; Tarun Devasia, Chief Marketing Officer at Ramco Systems; and Manish Lawnkar, Country Manager Storage at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the discussion highlighted how AI and automation are becoming essential for personalisation, operational efficiency and brand advocacy.
Innovations in Data Protection
The evening showcase featured the latest advancements in data protection technology. Sandeep Bhambure, Vice President and Managing Director of Veeam India and SAARC, underlined the critical link between strong cybersecurity measures and business growth. “Data protection is not just about security, it builds customer trust and enables innovation,” he said.
The summit concluded with separate roundtables for government and enterprise leaders. Topics included regulatory compliance, threat intelligence sharing and balancing agility with security mandates. Government officials discussed scalable cyber defence frameworks that align with national security priorities, while corporate CISOs focused on strategies to mitigate increasingly sophisticated cyber threats without stifling business growth.
Unified Vision for India’s Cyber Future
The Bengaluru event reinforced a broad consensus that India’s cybersecurity future depends on coordinated efforts in skill development, technological innovation and cross-sector collaboration. With upcoming VeeamON 2025 India Tour events scheduled in New Delhi on 21 August and Mumbai on 9 September, Kushagra Sharma, Head of Marketing – India & SAARC, Veeam Software said, “We look to further galvanise stakeholders to build a resilient digital economy.”
Echoing the sentiment, Professor Niranjana observed, “A digitally skilled and secure Bharat is not just an aspiration, it is being realised through sustained investment and partnership and state of Karnataka is taking the lead in this.”
