Ethical hacking should be integrated with an organisation’s information system to counter security threats in the increasingly unsafe cyber world, according to AS Kiran Kumar, Chairman, ISRO.

He said this while inaugurating a two-day ISRO seminar on computers and IT (ISCIT-2015) at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre here on Thursday.

Enhanced thrust

Technologies such as sharing computing services via the cloud and enhancing performance by quantum computing will assume enhanced thrust in coming days.

While embracing latest technologies, the importance of cyber security increases manifold, he opined.

Whether it is about guiding fishermen to good catchment or automating an orbiting spacecraft, computers powered by latest IT tools have proved the backbone of space research and applications, Kiran Kumar said.

Delivering the presidential address, M Chandradathan, Director, VSSC, underlined the need for precise documentation of every project to effectively make them independent of any individuals involved.

Peer review

“Seminars such as this provide a platform for cross dissemination of valuable information, thereby avoiding the proverbial reinvention of wheel,” he added.

In is keynote address, R Narayanan, former vice president of Tata Consultancy Services, spelt out five key aspects which, in his opinion, made ISRO a story of success.

The first aspect is ISRO’s excellent peer review mechanism where every major work undergoes multiple reviews by peers.

Second is the way a problem is looked at from many angles to arrive at a compact solution. Third is the kind of solution often chosen which need not be the ideal one but the most optimal one.

The fourth aspect is ISRO’s ability in analysing any problem thoroughly before arriving at a model to solve it.

Feedback mechanism

In many other organisations, models are often chosen by experts a priori and then slugged on the technical team to solve a problem, Narayanan observed.

Lastly, ISRO’s culture of excellent feedback mechanism while solving a problem and their iterative process in testing a solution has given rich dividends in terms of successful projects.

Earlier, MV Dhekne, associate director (R&D), VSSC, welcomed the gathering and T Mookiah, deputy director, gave an overview of the seminar.

D Karthikesan, director, ISRO Propulsion Complex, and PP Mohanlal, director, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit, offered felicitations while B Thanudas, expressed a vote of thanks.

The two-day seminar will see presentation of more than 100 technical papers over 15 sessions apart from three invited lectures from eminent personalities.

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