Introduction:
Cybersecurity is the process of defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks. Cybersecurity software is used to protect devices, networks, and data from these attacks. It is used to avoid unauthorized data access, cyberattacks, and identity theft. The Indian government allocated around six billion rupees for the development of cyber security infrastructure. Since everything has become online these days, the chances of theft and malicious attacks have also increased, which is why the government has also sought to ensure intact cyber security. For the 2023–2024 period, the government’s estimated allocation for cyber security projects is around 759 crores.
Yearly Analysis of Cyber Security Software Tenders:
Government agencies in India have increasingly adopted cyber security software in recent years. During the last year, a total of 3973 tenders for cyber security software were advertised by government agencies in India. Of these, the maximum number of tenders were published in Maharashtra. Maharashtra had published a total of 459 tenders. The second highest number of tenders were published in Jammu and Kashmir, which was 420, followed by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Odisha, and other states. Among the 3973 tenders, 1297 tenders were published by the Indian Army. The rest of the tenders were handled by other major government agencies. During the last year, the State government agencies and Public Sector Undertakings have published 492 Cyber Security Tenders until 8th March, 2024 , 32 Antivirus Software Tenders and 14 Firewall Tenders. They have also published 7 Endpoint Security Tenders.
Cyber Security Tenders:
In today’s world, cyber security is the need of the hour. In 2023, 35 tenders were tendered by the government agencies. in this regard. The West Bengal Power Development Corporation Ltd. for example published a tender for establishment of a Cyber Security Operation Centerwith an estimated budget of 2.42 crore. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in Delhi, Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research, and the Life Insurance Corporation of India sought to purchase cyber security software and appliances. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur, released a tender for the implementation of cyber security and a comprehensive information and cyber security assurance audit of various IT assets in Chhattisgarh.
Antivirus Software Tenders:
Antivirus software is used to search, detect, prevent, and remove harmful software viruses from the system. Around 49.43% of the total tenders published last year (i.e., 1966 of 3973) were for antivirus software. RRVPN: CMD in Rajasthan published a tender for the purchase of antivirus software with a 3-year subscription for desktop computers, laptops, and servers in RVPN. The estimated worth of this tender was 70.16 lakh. Hutti Gold Mines Company Ltd. in Karnataka published a tender for a comprehensive annual maintenance contract for computers, printers, scanners, and antivirus. The Indian Army published two tenders for antivirus software in Jammu and Kashmir and two in Haryana. The Bank of Baroda in Maharashtra had published 85 tenders for the empanelment of vendors for the supply of computer hardware, antivirus software, and peripherals at bank branches.
Firewall Tenders:
A firewall is used to restrict internet traffic within a private network. Around 16.86% of the total number of tenders (i.e., 670 of 3973) were for firewall software. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (Govt. of India Enterprise) published a tender for the supply and installation of SDWAN-based firewalls in Madhya Pradesh, which was worth around 2.15 crore. Kolkata Police in West Bengal published a tender of around Rs 46.28 lakh for firewall installation. The AP Capital Region Development Authority in Andhra Pradesh had published a tender for the renewal and upgrade of the existing firewall in their head office in Vijaywara for a period of 2 years. The estimated budget for this project was Rs 15.94 lakh. Gujarat International Finance Tec advertised a tender for the procurement of next-generation firewall appliances with 3-year comprehensive support and warranty in Gujarat, which was worth around 24.56 lakh. Apart from these, many tenders in this category were published in different states by different government agencies.
Endpoint Security Tenders:
Endpoint security is used to protect devices like workstations and servers from malicious threats and cyberattacks. During the previous year, 81 endpoint security tenders were published. Another tender was published in the ePublish platform for supply, installation, and maintenance of an application whitelisting solution and IT asset management for endpoints and servers in West Bengal. The estimated worth of this project was Rs. 27 crore. PWD in Kerala published a tender worth around 18.96 lakh for the supply and installation of centralized endpoint security (EDR) for 500 systems in the High Court of Kerala Ernakulam. Endpoint security had been in demand in the Defense Department too. The Indian Army published tenders for endpoint detection and response (EDR) appliances and software in Assam, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telengana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Delhi. All India Radio in Kerala sought a tender for endpoint protection. NHDC Ltd. published seven tenders in Madhya Pradesh for the procurement of an antivirus endpoint solution with XDR for all NHDC locations. Also, there were many tenders published last year that sought all these facilities together. As such, the Department of MPP and the Power Govt. of Himachal Pradesh published a tender for supply installation testing and commissioning of firewall servers, a centralized antivirus system, and an endpoint detection and response security system to enhance the cyber security of the IT systems installed at HPSLDC Govt. of HP Totu Shimla. The budget for this project was 1.06 crore.
Cybersecurity in the Education Sector:
Though cyber security is widely implemented in the IT sector, the education sector has also implemented it. For example, the Central University of Himachal Pradesh advertised a tender for renewal and activation of subscriptions for the Forigate 600D Next Generation Firewall and Analyzer. 53 tenders were advertised by different universities in different states, along with 288 tenders advertised by the education departments of the state government.
Contract Value:
Though the estimate is not published for many of the tenders, in a few cases, the estimated tender value was published. The tenders advertised by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development and the India Brand Equity Foundation in Delhi were worth Rs. 50,000. Whereas, the National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited published a tender worth around 29.99 crore in Delhi. Hence, the contract values of the tenders varied from subject to subject.
Live Tender Analysis:
As of 5th March 2024, there were 151 live tenders for cyber security software. Of which, Maharashtra was ranked at the top with 35 live tenders, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka.
Conclusion:
The above analysis showed that there is a significant demand for the Cyber security software in the government agencies. The system is very necessary to protect the confidential data of the Government. Our study shows the opportunity of Cyber security software is wide, since it is required in almost every government sector from education to defence. The fast-growing IT companies in India must take efforts to keep track of these opportunities and make an effort to win these.
