As capital becomes scarce, Indian startups are scrutinizing their operational expenses with a renewed focus on cloud infrastructure. This financial discipline has triggered a price war among AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. Startups are no longer accepting list prices; instead, they are engaging in strategic renegotiations that yield savings between 20% and 50%. By capitalizing on the competition between providers—specifically using Google and Azure quotes to challenge AWS pricing—founders are effectively turning a fixed cost into a negotiable opportunity to extend their runway.
The 5G Talent Crunch
The race to 5G has hit a roadblock—not technology, but talent. India faces a shortage of nearly one million cybersecurity experts just as network vulnerabilities are set to rise. With the demand for cloud security skills skyrocketing, experts warn that hiring alone won’t suffice; the future of telecom security depends on transforming the current workforce through rapid upskilling.
This shift is driven by the very nature of 5G architecture. Unlike previous generations, 5G relies heavily on virtualization and software-defined networking (SDN), which dissolves traditional physical perimeters and moves core network functions to the cloud. Furthermore, the explosion of IoT devices connected to these networks creates millions of new potential entry points for cyberattacks. Without a workforce fluent in next-generation protocols—such as container security, API protection, and automated threat response—telecom operators risk leaving critical national infrastructure exposed to sophisticated, state-sponsored attacks and ransomware campaigns.
"Even if we remove 5G from the equation, our security defense is undermanned. The priority must be aggressive recruitment and training to correct this severe systemic deficit."
Even if we do not talk about 5G (specifically), the security talent in general in the country is very sparse at the moment. We need to get more (security) professionals in the system.