ACF: Equipping India’s MSMEs with Cybersecurity Resilience

From 2021-2023, cyberattacks on startups and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) surged by 508%. Strengthening cybersecurity resilience has become paramount to safeguard MSMEs and sustain their growth.

Across India, MSMEs remain an important part of the country’s economy and the livelihoods of women entrepreneurs, providing 120 million jobs and driving innovation. However, their businesses are the most at risk, with 83% of small businesses reporting cybersecurity breaches that result in substantial financial harm.

In collaboration with CUTS International and support from Google.org, we launched the APAC Cybersecurity Fund (ACF) in Kolkata, India. The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in India Nandita Baruah delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing MSMEs’ formal structure and embedding cybersecurity training. Localizing the curriculum in multiple Indian languages, such as Assamese, Hindi, English, and Bengali, is key to making the training more efficient.

ACF is a region-wide initiative equipping 90,000 MSMEs, half women-owned businesses, with the skills to navigate the changing digital economy safely and confidently.

CUTS International, a leading public policy research and advocacy organization, will be reaching over 20,000 MSMEs across 10 Indian states:

• Rajasthan
• West Bengal
• Assam
• Arunachal Pradesh
• Manipur
• Meghalaya
• Mizoram
• Sikkim
• Nagaland
• Tripura

The launch brought together key stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Government of India, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, state-level MSME departments, chamber of commerce representatives, MSME associations, civil society representatives, and media representatives.

The APAC Cybersecurity Fund aims to strengthen the Asia and the Pacific region’s cybersecurity ecosystem by equipping micro and small businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises with skills to navigate the internet safely and confidently. Through training, the project works to improve the targeted sectors’ awareness and knowledge of basic cyber hygiene.

The project, spanning 12 countries, aims to equip local communities via upskilling tools and cyber clinics to protect against online risks. The project’s initiatives for regulatory reform include policy dialogues and localized research on cyber threats. Regionally, the program aims to upskill up to 600,000 individuals from 300,000 underserved organizations. In India, the Proposed intervention aims to capacitate 90,000 trainees from medium, small, and micro enterprises, with 50% being women-led.