US cybersecurity firm N-able opens India GCC, plans 50% local workforce expansion by end-2026

N-able Inc plans to expand its India workforce by at least 50% by the end of 2026, targeting the country’s deep pool of AI and cybersecurity talent, CEO John Pagliuca said.

N-able, which provides IT management, cybersecurity, and data protection software to more than 500,000 organizations globally, opened ‌a Global ⁠Capability Center (GCC) ⁠in Bengaluru on Monday. The center currently employs more than 100 people.

The expansion comes amid a broader boom in India’s GCC ecosystem. The country’s GCC workforce is projected to reach 2.36 million employees by the end of 2026, with AI and cybersecurity driving much of the demand, according to a report by industry body Nasscom and consultancy Zinnov.

“The reason ⁠we’re in ‌Bengaluru is capability,” Pagliuca told Reuters in an interview. “Our priority is to build for the long term, with the right ⁠people and a strong foundation, not to pursue a short-term headcount play.”

Pagliuca said N-able’s move was driven primarily by access to talent rather than cost reduction.

While Bengaluru is India’s premier technology hub, the market for AI and cybersecurity professionals is highly contested, with multinational companies and local technology firms competing for the same talent.

Pagliuca said skills in AI engineering, applied machine learning, cloud security, ‌and threat research are among the hardest to source. To attract high-caliber talent, N-able is relying on competitive packages and the opportunity to drive global ⁠innovation while building strong local career paths, he said.

The launch comes as cybercriminals increasingly use generative AI to carry out sophisticated, automated attacks, with Pagliuca adding that the Bengaluru team will play a key role in developing defensive AI capabilities, including automated threat detection, monitoring and faster response times.

However, N-able did not disclose its current market penetration among Indian small and medium-sized businesses or specific revenue targets for the country.

(Reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)