T.N. Startup Summit| Security should be there by design in a startup, says Sify CEO

Cybersecurity startup mantra: Security by design is crucial for success, emphasized by Sify Digital Services CEO at a summit.

’Security should be there by design’ is a mantra that every cybersecurity startup should follow, said C.R. Srinivasan, CEO, Sify Digital Services, at the Tamil Nadu Startup Summit 2025 in Chennai on Thursday.

He was in a conversation with Suresh Vijayaraghavan, Chief Technology Officer, The Hindu Group, on ‘Cybersecurity in the Startup World: Why Stakeholders Can’t Afford to Ignore It’.

Speaking on the mistakes done by startups in the initial stages, he said: “Most of the time they want any product to hit the market as soon as possible as they don’t want to miss the opportunity for the product and want to be ahead of the competitor. They genuinely don’t know if it is secure and lastly, ‘we’ll see when it happens’ attitude. However, it becomes a significant roadblock at some point if they don’t think about cybersecurity.”

He said cybersecurity spending is an integral part of the product build. “The startup is financially constrained but everybody starts out that way. If you compromise on cybersecurity, the cost of non conformance to security is very high. Its not just financial loss but also reputational loss. It is something they need to balance. They should ensure that they do what is minimally required.”

Stressing that the consumer should also be aware of the importance of security, Mr. Srinivasan said that the startups need to understand that their reputation is at stake and it cannot be built mid way on the journey. “It has to be built from day one,” he said.

Funding firms must also stress on cybersecurity in a startup product. “Not all founding teams come with technology exposure. Its important for founders to present themselves in a way that funding firms understand that they care about cybersecurity. The firm that’s funding should also ask for that.”