Zscaler and Airtel Launch Cyber Threat Research Center

Zscaler, Inc., an American cloud security company, has joined forces with Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecom providers, to launch the AI & Cyber Threat Research Centre in India. This cutting-edge initiative aims to enhance the nation’s cyber resilience, safeguarding critical sectors such as telecommunications, banking, and energy. The collaboration underscores a commitment to protecting India's economic and national security.

The AI & Cyber Threat Research Centre will serve as a national collaboration platform, integrating efforts from the private sector, public sector, academia, and government agencies. By doing so, it seeks to strengthen India’s cyber defenses while simultaneously building a robust talent pipeline. This aligns with India's vision of a Viksit Bharat, fostering a digital ecosystem that is self-reliant and secure.

Jay Chaudhry, the CEO and Founder of Zscaler, emphasized the importance of modern security architecture in an increasingly connected world. He stated, “You cannot secure this level of ambition with legacy firewalls and VPNs.” The new center will employ a modern Zero Trust architecture, designed to ensure security from the ground up, which is crucial in an era where cyber threats are becoming more advanced.

As cyber threats evolve, traditional security measures are proving insufficient. The partnership between Zscaler and Airtel aims to address this challenge by leveraging their combined strengths to create faster response times to emerging threats. Zscaler will establish a dedicated threat research team focused on India, utilizing its Zero Trust Exchange platform to analyze over 500 billion daily transactions for threat intelligence.

Airtel will contribute by providing insights into IoT and mobile traffic, enhancing network visibility to develop innovative solutions for quicker threat detection and coordination across the ecosystem. Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice-Chairman of Bharti Airtel, highlighted that this collaboration marks a significant step in their commitment to safeguarding customers and the nation’s digital infrastructure.

In the coming months, the center plans to invite additional members from both the public and private sectors, further expanding collaboration and reinforcing national cyber resilience. Jay Chaudhry concluded by stating, “With the AI & Cyber Threat Research Centre – India, we are bringing the complete power of the world’s largest security cloud to protect our nation’s sectors.” This initiative is not just about readiness; it empowers a new generation of cyber defenders to stay ahead of potential threats.