Amit Kumar,
President, Cyberfort Technologies

Cyberfort Technologies is a Boutique Training and Consulting Firm specialising in Information Security and financial technology. Cyberfort technologies was inaugurated in World Education Summit held in Le-Meridian, New Delhi,2013 (www.cyberfort.org), in the presence of eminent laureates and educationist from across the world. CYBERFORT Technologies is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 27001:2005 certified and is an accredited member of IADL, UK and US DLA. Cyberfort Technologies provides niche and hi-tech certification courseware globally via virtual and instructor – led teaching modules. Cyberfort Technologies has strategic alliances with Mahatma Gandhi University, India (UGCAICTE- DEC approved) and EC-Council (world’s largest certification body for Cyber security professionals) for imparting high quality graduate/postgraduate and professional certifications in Information and financial technology.
Information security is a stable and growing profession – Information security professionals are very stable in their employment; more than 80 percent had no change in employer or employment in the past year, and the number of professionals is projected to continuously grow more than 11 percent annually over the next five years.
Certification of knowledge drives salaries higher – the salary gap between certified cyber security professionals and non-certified professionals is widening. Information security professionals in US have average salaries of USD 80,000. In India, a beginner can expect a pay package of up to `6 lakh per annum. Professionals with higher academic qualifications and work experience can draw up to ` 30 lakhs. Salaries are at least 20-30 percent higher than for most other positions at the same level in other fields of IT. Typically, salaries get doubled within two years due to huge demand of skilled manpower in this sector.
Even with past annual growth in the double-digits, workforce shortage persists. The impact of shortage is the greatest on the existing workforce. India alone needs at least five lakh cyber security professionals by the year 2015.

Career in Algo-Trading
Algorithmic trading can be defined as placing a buy or sell order of a defined quantity into a quantitative model that automatically generates the timing of orders and the size of orders based on goals specified by the parameters and constraints of the algorithm. The rules built into the model attempt to determine the optimal time for an order to be placed that will cause the least amount of impact on the price of the financial instrument. Algo trading is a way to codify a trader’s execution strategy. Algo trading or computer-directed trading cuts down transaction costs and allows fund managers to take control of their own trading processes.
Algo trading is an automated facility where trading is carried out by computer driven algorithms designed by traders. Instead of the traders manually doing so, it is these algorithms that determine which orders – to buy or to sell – get booked. The high speed transactions can take as little as 18 microseconds – at which such trading takes place, gives it a competitive advantage over conventional manual trading. While a single trader can manually handle at best a portfolio of around `5 crore, an algo trader, working alone, can cope with `50 crore to `55 crore.
Algo trading started in India in 2005. But it was only in 2008, after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed Direct Market Access, or electronic interaction with the order books of exchanges, that this facility started gaining wide acceptance. Today, around 16 to 17 percent of trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange is algorithmic, with about 80 to 90 companies engaged in it. But many believe that in the next three to four years, the proportion could rise to 60 to 70 percent.

TechnoLab learning centers The Cyberfort TechnoLab learning centers across India are equipped with state-of-the-art technology to facilitate learning. Our industry experts use advanced learning tools to demonstrate real-time trends in advanced ICT to learners. Additionally, all learning centers are managed by dedicated managers who ensure that every need of the learner is met. They aim to create a collaborative learning environment that encourages knowledge creation and absorption. The learning centers provide the perfect blend of content and infrastructure thus enabling the learner to flourish.

Scope of the programme
A tremendous scope is available. Information security is one of the booming industries at the moment. Technologies offered at Cyberfort technologies are in high demand like Information Security & financial technology, Application Programming, Networking and Communication.
Our job-oriented diploma programs increase one’s chances in various domain specific areas, whereas the MBA program in cyber security and Investment Banking respectively gives an edge to enter directly in the mid level position of the industry domain.

Advantage of niche technology course
The entry-level salary is at least 20 percent higher as compared to other areas and the growth within the industry is much faster. Typically, the salary would get doubled within two years itself as there is a huge demand of skilled manpower in this sector.
Cyberfort technologies deliver innovative, leading-edge products, solutions, and services to customers worldwide. We are dedicated to advancing the discipline of cyber security through imagination, technical excellence, and unparalleled passion for our work.

EducoSoft delivers digital content for K-12 students, teachers and self-learners. Dr Manmohan Sharma, Professor Emeritus, Clark Atlanta University (US) and President Educo International, speaks on the need of teachers’ empowerment through digital content that can help teachers make class discussions dynamic and interactive, in conversation with Pragya Gupta, ENN

Please share the genesis of Educo International.
Educo International was founded in 1985 to provide quality education tools, products and services globally. We have the vision to provide quality education solutions accessible anytime, anywhere with or without the availability of Internet access. Now we are delivering solutions through several options for the institution to chose from, including: 1) through Internet; 2) Internet based Lab licenses; 3) without Internet, through Local Area Network, and 4) now through a simple Pen Drive. If any of the first three options are used then it comes with comprehensive Learning Management System (LMS) with all the instructional management tools.
I have been in Education for over 50 years, about 30 years in US, and have held several senior academic and administrative positions in different universities in the USA and India. For the last three decades, I have been focusing on improving the quality of math and Science education by introducing technology solutions in teaching and learning.

How do you empower teachers?
We call ourselves to be academic solution provider. Our focus is on empowering teachers in the classroom as everything revolves around them. There is a scarcity of teachers, not even to talk of good teachers. Whatever we have can be made efficient enough to deliver quality education exploiting the power of digital content.
This is where efficiently delivered digital teaching resources can help improve the situation. We have tried to capture good pedagogy through dynamic graphics, appropriate animations, step-bystep presentations to make class room interactive using heuristics. Our Digital Teaching notes and assessment are seamlessly integrated for each and every concept of the curriculum that teachers are expected to follow.

Do you favour smart classrooms that have entered Indian schools?
Yes, of course. That facilitates integration of teaching and learning through digital media. But its effective integration in actual teaching and learning is still to be seen. However, there are some institutions that can be considered as model for the smart room use and its complete integration in teaching and learning like the five schools in Delhi that I know; two schools of Tagore International group, two schools of Father Angeles, and Rukamni Devi Public school. Almost all teachers of these schools use smart class rooms very effectively.

How do you bring technology into the classroom?
Two things are necessary for the efficient use of technology by teachers in classrooms or for self professional development. It must be easy to use, and digital content must be very effective to make classrooms interactive. Access of digital content to teachers must be seamless, without depending on any downloads and external technology person’s help. Keeping all these consideration in mind, we are now offering our content in USB sticks that require no installations except the Pen drive itself. Powerful content, where teaching notes are presented with dynamic graphics and pedagogically sound animations, and are integrated with assessment for every concept, are likely to make class rooms interactive with good learning environment.

Please shed more light on your USB-based solution for learning.
Educo has launched a new concept of Pen Drive loaded with complete curriculum for teaching, learning, and assessment, all integrated and locked in this Pen Drive. Content is completely aligned with CBSC curriculum. Focus is on Mathematics, Sciences, and English Language Arts. For teachers, we are adding in one Pen Drive all that a teacher needs for the subject for all classes he/she teaches. For students, we are adding in one Pen Drive all the three subject matter; Math, Science, and English of his/ her class. It is being launched in four countries simultaneously: US, Jamaica, India, and Philippines.