Senior Director Information System Operations and Security at Government of India is the FI MU graduate

Author: Klára Petrovičová for fi.muni.cz

Milan Patnaik came to the Faculty of Informatics of Masaryk University (FI MU) to obtain his second master degree in Computer Science. He aimed to deepen his knowledge in Cyber Security which he came across when working for the Government of India. Now with more than 19 years of experience, he is working as a Senior Director of the Information System Operations and Security for the Government of India and pursuing a joint PhD degree at the same time.

Can you tell me more about your background before joining the FI MU?

I worked in the field of Cyber Security for the Government of India before I joined FI MU. I had already done my masters in IIT Madras, in computer science. However, I wanted to do some specialization in the field of Cyber Security and that's how I went on to do masters in informatics, specifically in information security, at MU.

Why did you choose the field of security?

Firstly, it's an upcoming field. Secondly, since I have been deeply involved in security of national level networks, it is important to secure the networks and systems against cyber attacks. Nowadays, the world has moved to an era where we have to look beyond software attacks and other application-level attacks. My research interest also lies in hardware and processor designing, so I wanted to have a background in security to be able to design secure hardware and systems.

Do you think you got many opportunities for practical learning experiences and to join research groups during your studies at FI?

Yes! The best part of my studies at Masaryk University was the practical part of the curriculum. Thanks to that, we had a lot of practical work to try, which helps every student master their knowledge.

Were you also a part of a lab at FI?

Yes, I was part of Crocs. We did a lot of work in the field of security and cryptography and other things at Crocs, especially with Václav Matyáš and Petr Švenda.

What is it like to study as a foreigner at FI and in Brno in general? What was your experience like?

Studying at FI as a foreigner was really great. I realised that most of the students at the faculty were foreigners from Europe, usually Erasmus students, and very few from India. But it was an excellent experience to meet all the students from different countries. And the curriculum and the administration is very, very global friendly, I must say.

Did you get to travel around the Czech Republic during your studies?

We were a group of students from India, who went to Brno, and of course, though I had travelled to many countries, the Czech Republic was my first trip. So firstly, It's a beautiful country, apart from the studies. And also the country was very friendly to foreigners. I was happy to see that people were speaking English. Unlike some countries where very few people speak English, that was one, and the second, we really loved Brno. Because of the culture, the architecture and we also met amazing people. Since I continued my association with the faculty, I have made good friends, which has also helped me professionally because of the research work that we do together. We also got to know about Czech people and their culture. And it was a really great experience.

We also had a great time travelling to small places in the Czech. We travelled to many other countries like the Scandinavian countries, even Slovenia, Croatia and other places. But later on, our Czech friends recommended that we visit beautiful, small villages all around the Czech. All these places were very beautiful to go to and stay there at night. We got to know varied cultures even inside the Czech Republic and enjoyed the local beer in all the villages.

I’m glad to hear that! And can you tell me some differences between studying in India and the Czech Republic?

Since I've done all my studies in India, I can tell there are many differences that I could come up with. In India, the percentage of the theoretical courses is almost 50% to the practical work. And that is how it has been from the undergrads to the postgrads.

However, the curriculum in MU is much more practical oriented, especially at the FI. The studies in FI MU has almost 75% application and practical work and 25% theory. And the best part of the study curriculum was that, we could do some of the courses where we didn't have to take the exam if we did well in the practical part.

Are you continuing your PhD studies remotely at the moment?

Yes, I am. I am doing a joint PhD between IIT Madras and the Faculty of Informatics in the MU.

How does it work to have the joint PhD?

It's a collaboration between the universities to share the ideas and thoughts to develop good security solutions. Also, since I am working, it is an external PhD from the university where I have done the contact part and now I am doing my thesis work that is in remote mode.

That is interesting! I know you probably can’t tell me many details about your work for the government because it’s confidential. But if you could at least tell me how it feels to have such a great responsibility in general?

Every citizen of a country must show great responsibilities as far as cyber security is concerned for the security of the nation. Since, I am a Cyber Security professional, it is my duty to keep myself updated with the technology which is moving very fast. And also to train the team of people under me to keep themselves updated for the worst challenge that may face in terms of a Cyber Attack. This involves deep research to keep them abreast with the technology to deal with any kind of cyber security issues that affects the country.

What is your go-to source for keeping on track with current technologies?

It is a part of many organisation culture to keep up with the greatest challenges one can envisage. One way to be aware of the latest trends is to be part of various security forums where people share their experiences and ideas. It helps a lot. It is also important to be part of international research community like the IETF, IEEE, ACM etc. I've been a member of many of these organisations where we share thoughts and ideas within the research community. And that helps us to keep ourselves abreast with technology. And, of course, it is important to implement many of the ideas that we learn, with our collaborations like the FI MU, to develop real cyber security solutions.

Do you think that your time with FI and the Czech Republic contributed to your career prospects?

Yes, definitely. And as I said, my aim to study in the Faculty of Informatics was primarily to upgrade myself. And not only myself but also to impart and transfer the knowledge I have gained to the vast team of thousands of people I manage. So it was really professional enriching.

Are you planning to come back to the Czech Republic in the future?

For sure. I used to travel once every year. Because of the Covid restrictions, I'm going online. Otherwise, I still take guest workshops and guest lectures whenever the request comes from Professor Matyáš, or Petr Švenda, as part of Crocs and share my experience and knowledge with many students. And it's great even to interact online. Whenever I get to do this, it's exciting to interact with the students of the Faculty of Informatics, and it's mutual learning; I learn from them as well. So that's a part of my curriculum now. I get to travel and share my experience with the students every year.

That's very nice. This may be a bit philosophical question, but do you have any idea where you see yourself in five years, career-wise?

In five years, maybe I'll be at the pinnacle of my career. And that' the game everyone should have. But of course, I see myself, perhaps, much more effective in implementing real security solutions and If I keep on interacting with good people and keep myself abreast with the help of joint studies, like with the Faculty of Informatics, it's going to help me quite a bit.

What advice would you give are aspiring international students going to study here?

Firstly, it would be my greatest advice to all the international students to gain from the excellent studycurriculum of Faculty of Informatics. It appears to be very hard and taxing, but it gives an immense amount of learning. And whether it's assignments or the classes, it's very good to go through the entire curriculum as laid down by the faculty. And also not to go deep into the studies, but see the places around and learn much more things about the Czech Republic which forms an essential part of your travel to any other country.

Do you have any final notes?

I just want to say that it was a great experience studying in the Czech Republic. With the upcoming faculty members and the programs, which is how the Faculty of Informatics grows, it will not be long when we will see Masaryk University as one of the top universities in the world. And I sincerely hope it happens, since I am part of the university, that we should be able to take the university to higher ranks and invite more foreign students.