From awareness to action: Building smarter cyber defenses

Your monthly roundup of the key technology and leadership trends from HCLTech Trends and Insights  

Welcome to the November edition of the HCLTech Trends and Insights newsletter, where we showcase the latest developments in technology and business innovation.   

Recognizing that October was Cybersecurity Awareness Month, this edition puts a spotlight on the evolving cybersecurity landscape. As digital threats grow in scale and sophistication, enterprises are reevaluating their approaches to securing their environments. From AI agents and predictive models to autonomous systems, the featured articles in this edition explore how intelligent technologies are reshaping cybersecurity — cutting across industries and enabling proactive, adaptive defense strategies. 

Alongside these cybersecurity insights, we also feature perspectives from HCLTech leaders in retail and life sciences and healthcare, where product-aligned operating models are driving scalable transformation, and share the summary of a panel hosted by HCLTech from SIBOS 2025 on the autonomous future of financial services. These industry-specific stories highlight how AI-led strategies are enhancing agility, innovation and resilience. 

Key themes highlighted across these topics in the past month are summarized for you below. 

Cyber resilience in action    

Agentic AI and Zero Trust 

Prikshit Goel, Global Practice Head, Cybersecurity at HCLTech, explores how AI agents are reshaping Zero Trust frameworks, emphasizing the need for dynamic, context-aware security models that adapt to autonomous systems. 

Read more:

The era of autonomous SOC: AI and human agents in action 

B Mani Shankar, Global Manager, MDR and Assurance Services, Cybersecurity at HCLTech, discusses the rise of autonomous Security Operations Centers (SOCs), highlighting how AI and human agents collaborate to detect, respond and neutralize threats in real time. 

Read more:

Predictive AI for attack surface management 

Prashant Mascarenhas, SVP and Global Sales and Solutions Head, Cybersecurity at HCLTech, explains how predictive AI is enabling proactive perimeter defense. By continuously analyzing threat vectors, enterprises can reduce their exposure and respond more effectively. 

Read more:

From awareness to action: Building a resilient enterprise security culture 

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, HCLTech hosted a fireside chat featuring leaders from CrowdStrike and SailPoint, who shared insights on staying safe online, including scaling cybersecurity strategies with AI, embedding secure-by-default workflows, maturing identity, fostering a reporting culture and striking the right balance between automation and human judgment. 

Watch the discussion:  

Transforming IT models in life sciences and healthcare 

Shrikanth Shetty, Chief Growth Officer and Global Head, Life Sciences and Healthcare Industries at HCLTech, highlights how product-aligned IT models are driving agility and secure innovation in healthcare, enabling faster adoption of AI and digital platforms. 

Read more:

AI-led operating models powering Retail 5.0 

Debraj Bhattacharya, Senior Industry Specialist, Retail and CPG at HCLTech, and Lalit Kumar Singh, Senior Solutions Director at HCLTech, share how AI-driven operating models are enhancing agility and security in the retail sector, paving the way for Retail 5.0. 

Watch the full discussion:

The future of payments at SIBOS 2025 

At Sibos 2025, HCLTech hosted a panel with leaders from Mastercard, ING, Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank to discuss how autonomy can deliver speed and scale, without sacrificing trust. 

Read more:

In between editions of the HCLTech Trends and Insights Monthly Roundup, you can explore the latest stories impacting business and society by following us on LinkedIn or visiting us at Trends and Insights.