Organisations in India faced 3,278 cyberattacks per week, far above the global average: Sundar Balasubramanian, Check Point Software Technologies

Amid India’s surge toward a $1 trillion digital economy, the stakes for cybersecurity have never been higher. In this exclusive interaction, Sundar Balasubramanian, Managing Director for India and South Asia, Check Point Software Technologies, shares how the company is doubling down on AI-powered threat prevention, cloud-native security, and democratised access to enterprise-grade protection. He offers deep insights into Check Point’s strategy for securing India’s evolving digital backbone, from large enterprises to underserved SMBs, while aligning with emerging regulatory mandates like the DPDP Act and CERT-In directives.

As India’s digital economy accelerates across sectors, how are you steering Check Point’s regional strategy to address the evolving threat landscape and meet the cybersecurity needs of both large enterprises and mid-sized businesses?

India is at an inflection point in its digital journey. With the digital economy projected to account for 20% of the country’s GDP by 2030, we’re seeing a sharp rise in technology adoption across industries. However, this rapid digital expansion has also made India a major target for cyberattacks. According to Check Point’s Threat Intelligence Report, organisations in India faced an average of 3,278 cyberattacks per week over the past six months—significantly higher than the global average of 1,878 attacks per organisation.

Our regional strategy is focused on building cyber resilience across the spectrum, from large enterprises to mid-sized businesses. India is a strategic market for us, which is reflected in our continued investments, including the establishment of our largest R&D centre in APAC in Bengaluru and offices in both Bengaluru and Mumbai. 

For large enterprises undergoing complex digital transformations, we offer our AI-powered Infinity architecture, which provides unified, real-time threat prevention across cloud, network, endpoint, and mobile environments. For mid-sized businesses, which often have limited IT resources but face equally serious risks, we’ve introduced our Quantum Spark 1900 and 2000 next-gen firewalls, smart, scalable, and easy-to-manage solutions that bring enterprise-grade security within reach.

Overall, our goal is simply to help Indian organisations of all sizes grow confidently and securely in an increasingly hostile cyber landscape.

Check Point has been investing in AI-driven threat intelligence. How are you applying AI/ML not just for faster detection, but for autonomous mitigation and zero-day prevention at the edge?

Check Point has been integrating AI into cyber security since 2014, long before it became mainstream. At the heart of our approach is ThreatCloud AI, which powers over 40 AI engines and makes 2 billion security decisions daily. This forms the foundation of our Infinity Platform, which uses AI not just for faster threat detection, but also for autonomous mitigation and zero-day prevention across the attack surface.

In 2024, we introduced Infinity AI Copilot, which automates up to 90% of routine security tasks, enabling teams to focus on high-impact threats. Our AI capabilities are further enhanced by strategic collaborations like AI Cloud Protect, developed with NVIDIA, delivers robust protection against complex, AI-driven cyberattacks, while GenAI Protect applies real-time DLP policies to safeguard the use of generative AI tools like ChatGPT. To strengthen defences at the edge, we launched Check Point Quantum Firewall Software R82, a major leap forward in AI-powered prevention. R82 includes advanced engines specifically designed to block zero-day threats, including phishing, malware, and DNS exploits. It also streamlines threat resolution and automates security management using contextual AI insights.

With the rapid cloud adoption across Indian enterprises, how is Check Point tailoring its CloudGuard portfolio to address region-specific security gaps, especially for hybrid and multi-cloud environments?

As Indian enterprises embrace hybrid and multi-cloud architectures, the need for a prevention-first approach to cloud security has never been greater. Check Point’s CloudGuard portfolio is purpose-built to meet this moment delivering advanced threat prevention, automated security, and unified protection across diverse cloud environments.

CloudGuard provides AI-powered, consolidated security for applications, workloads, and networks, proactively blocking threats before they impact business. Its automated security capabilities help reduce manual errors and misconfigurations, which are common due to skill gaps in fast-evolving DevOps setups. And with unified visibility and control across all major cloud platforms, CloudGuard ensures organisations can manage security posture seamlessly, even in the most complex multi-cloud deployments.

We’ve also partnered with Wiz to deliver an integrated, industry-leading cloud security solution. This combines network security with deep cloud-native application protection, offering unmatched visibility, automated controls, and AI-driven prevention blocking 99.7% of attacks and delivering 169% ROI, according to industry benchmarks.

Ransomware attacks are growing more sophisticated and financially targeted. How is Check Point helping Indian BFSI and government sectors transition from reactive to predictive security postures?

Ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with the BFSI and government sectors being prime targets. According to Check Point’s Threat Intelligence Report, the BFSI sector in India faced 2,619 cyberattacks, while the government sector was hit even harder, recording 4,673 attacks.

For the BFSI sector, one of the early adopters of technology and always on the brink of attack due to its valuable financial data, our solutions focus on proactive threat prevention. As financial institutions become prime targets for cybercriminals seeking access to sensitive customer and transaction data, Check Point provides AI-driven threat prevention, zero-trust network access, and advanced endpoint protection. Our Mumbai office, strategically located close to India’s BFSI hub, ensures that we are in close proximity to our clients, offering rapid, localised support. We also focus on securing financial transactions, endpoints, and email traffic, which are critical attack vectors in the BFSI space. Through real-time threat intelligence and automated response, we help organisations stay one step ahead of cyber threats, reducing the need for reactive measures.

For the government sector, with its high responsibility for national security and regulatory compliance, we provide automated compliance tools aligned with CERT-In guidelines, along with advanced network security and early threat detection. Our solutions ensure that government agencies can protect critical infrastructure, enhance incident response capabilities, and maintain public trust by preventing ransomware and other targeted attacks.

Check Point’s comprehensive security strategy empowers both BFSI and government organisations in India to move from a reactive security posture to a predictive, prevention-first approach, ultimately strengthening resilience against evolving cyber threats.

As India pushes for secure digital sovereignty under initiatives like the DPDP Act and CERT-In directives, how is Check Point balancing compliance requirements with agile security architecture for customers?

India’s push for digital sovereignty through initiatives like the DPDP Act and CERT-In directives underscores the need for security that’s both compliant and agile. At Check Point, we embed compliance into our Infinity architecture, offering automated reporting, data residency controls, and real-time threat detection. This ensures customers can meet regulatory mandates without compromising speed, scalability, or innovation, striking the right balance between governance and agility in today’s dynamic digital environment.

From your perspective, what are the most overlooked cyber threats facing Indian SMBs and mid-market firms, and how is Check Point enabling democratised access to enterprise-grade security for them?

Indian SMBs and mid-market firms are increasingly targeted by cybercriminals but often lack the dedicated security talent and resources to defend themselves. While ransomware and phishing are common threats, what’s often overlooked is the rise of AI-powered attacks like deepfakes and automated phishing, which exploit these gaps even further.

At Check Point, we’re enabling secure growth for these businesses by offering enterprise-grade, AI-driven solutions that are not only cost-effective but also easy to deploy and manage. Our Quantum Spark firewalls, and Harmony suite deliver real-time threat prevention across endpoints, cloud, and mobile with built-in automation to reduce manual effort and save time. This helps SMBs overcome talent shortages and stay protected without needing a large security team.