Cisco’s Duo sets up data centre in India to boost compliance

Duo, a cloud-based secure access provider which is now part of Cisco, has launched its first data centre in India that it claims will help customers bolster their cyber defences and meet data localisation requirements. This is the latest in Cisco’s investments to build future-ready, data-compliant security infrastructure in the country.

The launch of the data centre in Mumbai is a part of Duo’s global expansion strategy, the company said in a statement. The data centre will enable all functionality from Duo’s zero-trust platform, including multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), VPN-less remote access, device trust, passwordless (in public preview), and adaptive risk-based policies. The local data centre will allow businesses to enhance their performance by improving connection stability.

“As Indian organisations ramp up their security, they must focus on building a robust cloud-based, automated architecture to facilitate remote management of highly distributed users, applications, and networks,” said Daisy Chittilapilly, President, Cisco India & SAARC.

She added that as Cisco catalyses our transition to deliver a majority of our portfolio as a service. “We are bringing Duo to more customers to help them not only prevent and respond to breaches but also be certain that their data is held securely within the region.”

“The new data centre doubles down on our continued commitment to India and will augment Cisco’s security capabilities to support the rising legion of hybrid businesses across the nation,” she added.

The India data centre is a part of a global network spread across APAC, Europe, and the United States. These investments position Duo for long-term success and ensure a consistent and elevated experience regardless of our customers’ locations.  

This move assumes significance as Indian companies — large and small — are accelerating their digital transformation. However, this brings about the challenge of keeping pace with an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Recent survey found that 37% of cybersecurity technologies used by firms in India are considered outdated by their security leaders. Recognising that the need to improve preparedness has never been greater, nearly nine in 10 Indian companies surveyed are investing in a zero-trust strategy — including passwordless security — to permit better agility, visibility, and control.

Cisco Duo also joins the bandwagon of India’s proliferating data centres. The pandemic has pushed the demand for cloud across the globe with digital transformation accelerating across industries. This shift towards cloud has pushed increased investments in hyper-scale datacentres.

The country is currently home to over 80 third-party data centres, and is witnessing investment from both local and international players that is expected to touch $4.6 billion per annum by 2025, according to a February 2021 report by NASSCOM.