Hyderabad, India, August 19, 2026: Cybersecurity company Proofpoint, Inc. is significantly expanding its presence in India as organisations accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence and face growing challenges around data protection, AI security and privacy compliance.
The company has announced a new AI Security Engineering Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad, alongside plans to hire more than 200 engineers over the next 12 to 24 months.
Proofpoint said the expansion will strengthen India’s role in its global AI security and research and development strategy while helping organisations address emerging security risks associated with employees, AI systems and sensitive data.
Proofpoint Sees Strong Growth in India
Proofpoint’s India business has tripled over the past 12 months, while new customer acquisition has grown at a double-digit rate. The company also reported that the number of seats protected by its security solutions has increased by more than 600% over the past 18 months.
The cybersecurity company said recent customer wins include organisations across banking and financial services, business process outsourcing, defence and the public sector.
The growth comes as companies increasingly look to protect sensitive information while deploying AI across business operations.
According to Proofpoint’s 2026 AI and Human Risk Landscape report, 87% of organisations globally have already deployed AI, while 52% of those organisations are not fully confident that they can detect a compromised AI system.
New Hyderabad Centre to Focus on AI Security
The new Hyderabad AI Security Engineering Centre of Excellence will become part of Proofpoint’s global R&D organisation.
The centre is expected to focus on technologies designed to secure AI applications, copilots and autonomous AI agents. Proofpoint also plans to expand its AI security roadmap through capabilities from its Acuvity portfolio, covering areas such as AI governance, runtime protection and AI application security.
The company plans to recruit more than 200 engineers for the Hyderabad centre over the next two years.
Proofpoint CEO Sumit Dhawan said India’s rapid AI adoption, changing threat landscape and evolving data-protection environment make the country an important market for the company’s global AI security strategy.
Proofpoint Opens New Delhi Office
Alongside the Hyderabad expansion, Proofpoint is also establishing a new office in Delhi.
The company said the Delhi presence will strengthen its go-to-market capabilities and allow it to provide greater local support to customers and partners.
Proofpoint will continue investing in:
- Sales
- Customer success
- Technical support
- Partner ecosystem development
- Engineering
- Product development
The company’s broader India operations include its established presence in Bengaluru and Pune.
Data Security Gains Importance Under India’s DPDPA
The expansion comes as Indian businesses prepare for evolving requirements under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA).
Proofpoint’s latest Voice of the CISO research found that 99% of Indian CISOs surveyed reported material loss of sensitive data, compared with 66% globally.
The company argues that the rapid adoption of AI is making data security more complex because employees and AI systems can create, access and share sensitive information across multiple environments.
Organisations therefore need greater visibility into where sensitive data is stored, how it is being used and how it can be protected.
Proofpoint Expands Unified Data Security Capabilities
Proofpoint is positioning its unified data security platform to help Indian organisations manage these risks.
Its capabilities include:
- Data Security Posture Management (DSPM)
- Data Loss Prevention
- Adaptive Email DLP
- Insider Threat Management
The platform is designed to help organisations discover and classify sensitive information, prevent data loss and identify potentially risky behaviour.
Proofpoint said connecting data sensitivity with user behaviour and threat intelligence can give security teams greater visibility into where risks are concentrated.
The company also provides local data-centre support for Indian customers, aimed at addressing data sovereignty and compliance requirements.
Proofpoint’s India Expansion at a Glance
The company’s latest expansion includes several major milestones:
3X — India business growth over the past year
200+ — Engineers planned for the new Hyderabad AI Security Engineering Centre
550+ — Extended team members at Proofpoint’s Pune Centre of Excellence
600%+ — Increase in protected seats over the past 18 months
2 — New and expanded strategic locations across Hyderabad and Delhi, alongside existing operations
India Becomes a Strategic AI Security Hub
Proofpoint’s investment reflects the growing importance of India in the global cybersecurity and artificial intelligence ecosystem.
As businesses deploy AI at scale, security teams face a new challenge: protecting not only employees and traditional applications but also AI agents, sensitive data and automated workflows.
For Proofpoint, the expansion of its Hyderabad engineering centre and Delhi operations signals a broader strategy to combine India’s technology talent with the company’s global AI security capabilities.
The company expects its expanded Indian footprint to support both local customers and the development of technologies for its global markets.
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Ruchi Kumar is the associate editor at Entrepreneur News Network and TVW News India, where she leads editorial strategy, brand storytelling, and startup ecosystem coverage. With a strong focus on innovation, business, and marketing insights, he curates impactful narratives that spotlight India’s evolving entrepreneurial landscape. She has written extensively on fintech, AI and emerging startups.