Joe A Scaria, Thiruvananthapuram
The Economic Times
Kerala’s tech sector, which has shown strong growth in recent years and presently basks in its achievement of accounting for the largest number of exciting start-ups showcased by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, has a curious problem on hand: A right fit for its security system to protect the tech sector, that includes vital installations like the Technopark here, which employs roughly 25,000 techies.
The problem lies to some extent with Kerala’s image of being a safe haven for technology companies, which requires the state to sport a matching security cover that is subdued, rather than overwhelming.
Says Sheela Thomas, secretary to chief minister V S Achuthanandan who handles the IT portfolio: “One problem is that gun-toting security personnel may not present an appealing picture to investors who come to the state. After all, Kerala promotes itself as a safe destination as far as threat perception goes”.
According to Technopark CEO Mervin Alexander, Technopark happens to be in an area known for its high density of vital installations that include the ISRO, an international airport and the Brahmos project besides its coastal location, all of which makes it a prime target for any surprise attack.
Technopark spends roughly Rs 2 crore a year on its security systems, but Alexander says the physical security of the park was as important as the importance given in tech circles to cyber security.
According to IG of police B Sandhya, an establishment the size of Technopark was too large to be given security cover by the local police station as was the case now, and that there was a general culture of neglecting security, evident in the widespread violation of traffic rules.
Joint director of the intelligence bureau, M Harisena Varma said Islamic terrorism was a growing threat and that terrorists could hit at vital installations like tourism infrastructure, energy establishments and IT hubs. He said such attacks were taking different forms as diverse as fidayeen attacks to misinformation campaigns and kidnapping to cyber wars.
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