As more Indian businesses turn to cloud technology, keeping their data safe has become a pressing concern. One of the latest tools making waves in this area is AI-driven threat detection, which aims to strengthen cloud security and better protect companies from cyber threats.
The global market for AI in cybersecurity was worth USD 17.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 102.78 billion by 2032, growing at an annual rate of 19.43 per cent . This trend shows how crucial AI is becoming in fighting cyber threats. Businesses using AI-driven security reported that they could shorten the time it takes to deal with breaches by an average of 108 days compared to those without AI, proving how AI speeds up response times.
How AI Is Transforming Cloud Security
AI-powered threat detection works like an ever-alert security guard, constantly watching over digital assets. It can identify possible cyber-attacks before they happen, providing an advanced layer of protection for businesses of all sizes.
With India's rapid digital expansion, the need for stronger security is more urgent than ever. The adoption of cloud technology has grown significantly in both startups and established companies, but with it cyber threats have also increased. Traditional security systems often struggle to keep up with sophisticated cybercriminal tactics, but AI offers a solution by quickly identifying and responding to unusual activities.
"AI is changing cloud security by improving how we detect and respond to threats with more accuracy. At Findability Sciences, we see companies using AI-driven tools like deep learning and behavioural analytics to secure their cloud systems. These tools can identify and tackle threats in real time, reducing the time it takes to respond and preventing risks from escalating," said Anand Mahurkar, Founder and CEO, Findability Sciences.
AI is not just for big corporations. More and more smaller companies are finding value in AI-based security features offered by cloud service providers, helping them protect their data without the need for large budgets.
Balancing AI Benefits And Challenges
AI-driven security systems analyse large amounts of data, such as network traffic and user behaviour, to spot anything unusual. They raise an alert when something looks suspicious, allowing businesses to act before any real harm is done.
The strength of AI is its ability to learn and improve. The more threats it faces, the better it becomes at detecting and responding to them. This adaptability makes it a valuable tool for Indian businesses trying to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.
"AI technologies are changing cloud security by bringing in advanced tools like machine learning to continuously monitor cloud environments. These tools quickly spot any odd activities or potential security breaches, which improves how we detect threats," highlighted Ahmed Belgana, Global Head of AI and Machine Learning, Onix.
While AI offers clear benefits, such as faster response times and better detection, it does come with its own set of challenges. Mahurkar pointed out that “heavy reliance on AI can be risky, and it shows the need for skilled cybersecurity professionals who can manage and fine-tune these systems. Companies need to combine technology with human expertise to make sure their security is strong and reliable.”
Shift In India's cybersecurity market
Growth: The AI in cybersecurity market in India is set to grow at an annual rate of 23.3 per cent from 2021 to 2026, mainly due to increasing cyber threats and more companies using cloud technology, according to MarketsandMarkets.
Cyber Attacks: The country saw a 37 per cent jump in cyber-attacks in 2023, with cloud environments often being the target, as reported by CERT-In.
AI Adoption: About 58 per cent of Indian businesses have started using AI-based threat detection as part of their cybersecurity plans, as per NASSCOM.
Faster Response: AI-driven response systems have cut the time needed to detect and respond to threats by 85 per cent for Indian organisations, based on data from PwC India.
Cost Savings: Businesses using AI for threat detection have saved an average of USD 1.8 million per breach, mainly because they can respond more quickly, according to the Ponemon Institute.
Leading Efforts In AI-based Cloud Security
In a bid to meet the expanding demand for secured cloud services, PwC India and Google Cloud have come together to introduce AI-secured security operations for India Inc. This partnership wants to improve the way that threats are identified and mitigate in relation to companies and their online assets.
At the same time, recent reports like the M-trends 2024 Report shows that there is increased incidence in use of more sophisticated techniques to avoid detection. AI is gradually becoming critical in detecting such sophisticated threats, and maintaining security against cybercrimes.
Another branch is generative AI, which offers real-time detection, automated response, and security policies that can be modified. This technology can detect loopholes that could be overlooked by other conventional security measures; in that perspective, it is highly valuable in current society.
Role Of AI In Regulations And Data Security
For many businesses, keeping up with regulatory requirements is a big part of cloud security. Automated security solutions make compliance to data protection laws easy to achieve and this gives organisations confidence when managing such data. For instance, Google Cloud has recently launched its Security Operations region within India, which helps the customer to prevent data from leaving its geographical boundaries.
The India digital transformation is still a work in progress, and intelligent threat protection will be instrumental in the country’s cloud defences. Since AI would learn from such threats as they emerge to harm the business, organisations would have a better protection against such incidents making the environment safer for growth and development of innovative products.
