How cybersecurity can fuel business growth, not slow it down by changing threat landscape

We live in the era of the digital economy, where cybersecurity has evolved from being a shield into a growth driver. Rather than slowing down business, a proper cybersecurity approach could smooth processes, create trust, and open up new possibilities. Security must go from being simply a back-office function to a strategic enabler of progress with the changing of the organisations to more agile, connected models. The stakes have never been higher as organisations switch to more agile, connected, and data-driven practices. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the risks involved with unprotected networks and devices.

According to CERT-In’s Digital Threat Report 2024, India witnessed a sharp escalation in cyber incidents, handling 15,92,917 cybersecurity cases in 2023, as reported by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. These incidents included website intrusions, malware propagation, malicious code, phishing, DDoS attacks, website defacements, unauthorised network scanning, ransomware, data breaches, and other vulnerable services. The scale of these threats underscores how rapidly the digital risk landscape is evolving. The report also highlights that the average cost of a data breach in India has reached US $2.18 million, revealing the financial impact of poor cyber hygiene. Alarmingly, the average time from vulnerability disclosure to exploitation is now just eight days, reflecting how quickly attackers can weaponise weaknesses. Meanwhile, the financial sector alone saw a 175% surge in phishing attacks in the first half of 2024, showing that the threat landscape is not only expanding but accelerating at breakneck speed.

One of the most emerging challenges is the increasing complexity of cyber threats. Cyber​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ attackers have begun to employ automation, artificial intelligence, and social engineering to breach advanced security systems, thus posing one of the most significant challenges that has the increasing complexity of cyber threats at its core. Businesses now face multi-vector attacks that target networks, data, cloud applications, and even employees through phishing or credential theft. Businesses that are still in the process of the digital transformation of their IT infrastructures find it hard to keep pace with the evolutionary threat landscape. 

Moreover,​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ the problem of compliance and regulation exists. With the implementation of strict data protection laws in various countries, such as India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, and global frameworks like GDPR, businesses are obliged to handle customer data in a safe and secure manner. Failure to comply with regulations may lead to heavy financial fines and loss of consumer confidence. It is a tough balancing act for expanding businesses, particularly startups and digitally transforming enterprises, to be able to fulfill these requirements and at the same time keep their ‌ ‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌agility.

The lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals has made India's cybersecurity market more difficult to deal with from a global perspective. The employment landscape within Indian global cybersecurity currently encompasses 1.5 million professionals, with workforce projections indicating growth to 1.9 million positions by late 2025. In many cases, even when all the necessary tools and technologies are available, they are hardly used because of a lack of skilled workers who can operate, monitor, and respond in an effective manner. This shortfall forces companies to either depend on their limited internal resources or, in some cases, outsource their security functions, which might lead to increased dependency risks.

Cybersecurity is equally important in the process of digital innovation. The emergence of such technologies as AI, cloud computing, and IoT, although they have a lot of potential, at the same time, they have new vulnerabilities. Business security through intelligent and adaptable frameworks gives companies the opportunity to implement innovations without fear of risks. When cyber threats become more frequent and complex, organisations that do not have scalable and agile security measures are forced to slow down the growth ‌process.

With tighter regulation (e.g., mandatory incident reporting, data localisation), security maturity becomes a competitive differentiator. CERT‑In’s directive on six‑hour reporting shows how speed and structure now matter. From AI to cloud to IoT, new tech introduces risk. Smart security frameworks allow businesses to adopt innovation confidently, rather than halt until “everything is safe”.

Businesses are now understanding that effective cybersecurity requires more than just technology; it requires combining human expertise with intelligent, adaptable systems. In order to offer end-to-end security, modern security strategies combine knowledgeable experts with AI-powered solutions. There are cybersecurity providers who provide advisory and risk management, compliance, offensive security testing, cloud and managed security, third-party risk management, and quick incident response. Businesses can identify threats, take proactive measures, and preserve operational resilience without reducing growth by combining human insight with intelligent automation.

Deep Chanda