Having completed his engineering degree in Information Science from Bangalore University and MBA in Sales & Marketing from Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Shibu boasts of an extensive 29 years long career during which he has been associated with diverse companies such as Nexus Computers, Sify, and BT Americas, prior to joining Array Networks in 2009. Additionally, he is also the board member of St. Jude Sahrudhaya Coperative Bank and Flaberry.com.

Networking hardware has always been a flourishing sector in India, and we have been the fastest growing market for networking hardware over the last decade with most of the OEMs witnessing significant growth. Some of the factors that are changing the networking hardware landscape in India lately are the recent roll-out of 5G, which has resulted in an enhanced connectivity across the country. As a result, many enterprises are looking forward to deploy 5G to be able to more effectively cater to their clients’ diverse needs. Over the last decade, there has been a humongous infrastructure development that India has been witnessing, which has resulted in shrinking of the country due to enhanced communication options being readily available. This has enabled large companies to now foray into rural markets which were earlier mostly neglected due to lack of proper infrastructure and network connectivity. Additionally, the government is taken a very stance towards local manufacturing and launched initiatives such as Make in India to encourage indigenous manufacturing. This has acted as a very effective catalyst for the networking hardware manufacturing in the country.

Cybersecurity at the Core of Networking Hardware

One of the major concerns for every CEO, CIO or any other business leader is the security of the hardware devices that they are utilizing. The government too is soon rolling-out policy that makes it the legal and financial responsibility of the organization that owns the data. This will have a commercial impact on organizations, making them extra cautious about security of networking hardware devices that they deploy. Be it coding, testing or developing hardware, every single function has a strong security angel to it. Additionally, today’s customers too have developed a heightened awareness regarding the importance of data privacy and look at cybersecurity as a key factor while opting for a company’s product/service. As a result, businesses are very wary about the ways in which their devices handle any kind of data and the kind of data security measures that are built into those devices. Thus, it is now mandatory to have cybersecurity and data privacy as the focus areas while developing any kind of networking hardware devices.

Networking hardware acts as the nervous system of every smart city, enabling hassle-free collection and transfer of data across diverse access points

Networking Hardware in Smart Cities

Connectivity is the backbone of every smart city. This includes the ways in which command/control centers, devices, offices, customer service centers and others are connected. For a smart city to function efficiently, everything – from wireless systems to payment systems, parking systems or even surveillance systems – must stay connected at all times. Networking hardware devices play the role of en enabler in this regard by enabling a seamless and hassle-free connectivity across all devices. Some of the key hardware components in this regard are routers, switches, access points, sensors and many others. The second most critical factor for any smart city is data, without which it is impossible to drive meaningful insights and take smart decisions. Data collection & analysis is one of the core aspects of every smart city. Networking hardware acts as the nervous system in this regard, enabling hassle-free collection and transfer of data across diverse access points. Lastly, security and surveillance are two other critical elements in any smart city setup, which is again made possible through networking hardware components.

The Government’s Role

The government is very much enthusiastic on improving the networking hardware sector in the country and is taking numerous steps in this regard. We are happy to be receiving such great policy & regulatory support, along with numerous benefits and incentives. As a result, companies including multinationals are very much motivated to setup their manufacturing plans in India. Another important initiative taken the government in recent times is the Public/Government Procurement.