Veeam expands beyond backup with DSCI partnership ahead of DPDP deadline

The collaboration will focus on DPDP readiness, cyber resilience, policy research and cybersecurity talent development as Indian enterprises prepare for stricter data protection requirements and growing AI risks.

Veeam Software is expanding its role in India's cybersecurity ecosystem beyond backup and recovery through a strategic partnership with the Data Security Council of India (DSCI), as enterprises prepare for the full enforcement of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act in May 2027.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) positions Veeam alongside DSCI on cyber resilience, data governance, policy development and workforce skilling at a time when organisations are facing increasing pressure to secure data while deploying AI across business operations.

Veeam said most Indian organisations are already using or evaluating AI, but many continue to face data governance and security challenges that could slow enterprise AI deployments.

Veeam Software vice president and managing director, India and SAARC, Sandeep Bhambure, said organisations now need to move beyond compliance planning and focus on operational cyber resilience.

"With the DPDP Act less than a year from full enforcement, Indian enterprises must move beyond compliance planning to building operational cyber resilience," Bhambure said.

He added that the collaboration combines technology, policy leadership and workforce development to help organisations strengthen cyber resilience while adopting AI securely and preparing for India's evolving data protection requirements.

Four areas of collaboration

Under the MoU, Veeam and DSCI will work together across four strategic areas: capacity building, industry engagement, policy research and workforce development.

One of the key outcomes will be a jointly developed guidance paper titled DPDP-Ready in the AI Era: A Sovereign, Secure and Resilient Blueprint for India.

The document will provide practical recommendations to help organisations prepare for DPDP compliance while addressing AI-related governance and security challenges.

The partnership also includes multiple initiatives aimed at expanding India's cybersecurity talent pipeline. These include the Cyber Awareness for School Students programme across government schools in Ahmedabad, the Skilling Women in Cyber Resilience initiative for women engineering graduates from Northeast India, and the Cyber Grad Bootcamp, which will provide structured certification for science and engineering graduates preparing for careers in cyber resilience.

DSCI’s chief executive officer, Vinayak Godse, said the DPDP Act requires organisations to integrate governance into the design and operation of enterprise systems rather than treating compliance as a standalone exercise.

He added that strengthening India's cybersecurity ecosystem will require continued investment in research, industry collaboration and workforce development across schools, universities and enterprises.

Building cyber resilience beyond compliance

Alongside the partnership, Veeam also announced plans to publish a two-volume Cyber Resilience Leadership Handbook aimed at both technical and business leaders.

The publication will include contributions from over 50 business and technology executives and will be distributed across universities and colleges to support cybersecurity and responsible AI education.

The handbook forms part of Bharat CyberSuraksha, Veeam's long-term workforce development initiative, which targets the establishment of 100 Centres of Excellence, 100,000 cybersecurity certifications and 25,000 job pathways into enterprise security roles.

For channel partners, the collaboration signals growing opportunities beyond infrastructure deployment as customers increasingly seek advisory support around DPDP readiness, cyber resilience, governance frameworks and AI security.

As data protection regulations become operational and AI adoption moves deeper into production, partners are expected to play a larger role in helping organisations build resilient data strategies that combine compliance, recoverability and operational continuity.