New Delhi, Sep 18 : There is an urgent need to balance confidentiality with threat intelligence sharing and secure digital applications by design amid evolving challenges in cyber security, the government said on Wednesday.

Addressing an event here in the national capital, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, said there is a need to create independent information security verticals across organisations to act as watchdogs and first lines of defense.

Krishnan stressed upon continuous learning to protect systems across government and society.

The event, part of the 'Cyber Surakshit Bharat' initiative, witnessed participation from over 250 CISOs, deputy CISOs, frontline IT officers, and senior officials from various ministries and state departments.

Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY underlined the growing importance of cyber security as part of the 'Digital India' campaign and called for robust cyber crisis management plans, akin to disaster management frameworks.

He introduced the 'Cyber Swachhata' initiative, urging organisations to cleanse their systems of malware and likening the effort to the 'Swachhata Abhiyan'.

Nand Kumaram, President and CEO, National E-Governance Division (NeGD), underscored the vital role of conducting CISO Workshops, recognising the continuous transformation organizations are undergoing in both hardware and software domains.

According to Savita Utreja, Group Coordinator (Cybersecurity) at MeitY, with the rapid adoption of emerging technologies, all organisations are now directed to appoint CISOs.

With a proactive approach, organizations must identify assets, detect threats, respond effectively, and improve resilience to stay ahead of cyber challenges, she added.

The workshop on cyber security aimed to provide valuable insights and strategies that will help CISOs stay ahead in securing our digital landscapes.

Launched in 2018, the CISO training programme has been a successful collaboration between the government and the private sector under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

It provides an essential platform to engage in discussions on the evolving challenges in cyber security, contributing to the development of a safer and more resilient digital landscape in India.

/IANS