Cyber security top priority: Moona

Sakaal Times
June 03, 2011

C-DAC gets new director general

Prof Rajat Moona has taken charge as director general of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), with its headquarters at Shivaji Nagar, here, on Wednesday, following the superannuation of his predecessor Rajan T Joseph.

He is the fifth technocrat to head the prestigious R & D institution, after Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, R K Arora, S Ramakrishnan and Rajan T Joseph.

Talking to reporters on Thursday, Moona, while stating that C-DAC's thematic areas of function are high performance computing, Indian languages, security, cyber security and training, said that cyber security is among the major concerns.

C-DAC is doing a lot of work at its research centre in Hyderabad. Priority today is to create awareness and sensitise people on the issue.

With C-DAC entering into its silver jubilee of its establishment next year, the country's premier institute is focussing on high performance computing and cyber security sectors.

Asked if C-DAC is introducing newer products in the silver jubilee year, the director general replied in the affirmative, but refused to share any information further, saying they are in thematic areas.

The C-DAC, which faced problem of retaining its workforce during the IT boom period between 2004-05, is now in a slightly better position.

Of the total strength of around 3,000, the staff has been divided into grade contracts, consolidated salary and regulars, C-DAC's head-corporate HRD George Arakal informed.

"Yes, there was problem retaining people during the IT boom period," Arakal admitted.

However, during the recession period, C-DAC took in quite a large number people, including those passing out of IITs. During the past three years, the position has been comfortable," Arakal said.

Though the salaries at C-DAC would not match with the information technolgy (IT) industry, Arakal said that if an engineer has worked for four to five years, then he stays through.