First Watch Expands into India — Where Growth Meets Reality
A New Chapter in India
First Watch has officially expanded operations into India, marking its fourth international market after New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, and Croatia.
But entering India is not just another geographic expansion — it is a different kind of journey.
India is a place where industrial growth moves fast, systems evolve organically, and engineering teams often balance modern automation with legacy infrastructure — sometimes within the same rack.
Where Cybersecurity Meets the Plant Floor
Across India, factories, utilities, and infrastructure operators are accelerating their digital transformation. Networks are becoming more connected, more integrated — and, inevitably, more exposed.
But in many environments, one simple question remains unanswered:
Who is allowed to change what on the control system? — and, just as importantly, who actually did.
This is where First Watch fits naturally.
Rather than focusing only on detecting threats, First Watch enables operators to define and enforce control over engineering actions — ensuring that changes to PLCs, controllers, and OT assets are authorised, visible, and accountable.
In environments where multiple vendors, contractors, and engineers interact with the same systems, this becomes not just a cybersecurity feature — but an operational necessity.
Building Presence, Not Just Sales
The India operations are led by Shlok Kant, Business Development Manager, who is focused on working closely with local system integrators and industrial operators.
In India, success is not about pushing technology — it's about understanding how work actually gets done on site, not just how it was designed on paper.
This includes:
- Supporting engineers working under real production pressure
- Aligning with local integration practices
- Delivering solutions that work in practice, not just in presentations
A Step-by-Step Approach
Entering India is not a single move, but a process.
As Mahatma Gandhi emphasised through his philosophy of action, meaningful progress is achieved step by step. This is exactly how First Watch approaches this market — building trust, demonstrating value, and adapting to real operational environments.
Why India Matters
India represents one of the most dynamic industrial environments globally — a combination of scale, speed, and complexity.
It is also a place where the gap between IT-style cybersecurity and real OT operational needs becomes very visible.
First Watch enters this market with a clear focus: not just to monitor threats — but to control and enforce how industrial systems are used.
Looking Ahead
This expansion is not just about adding another region. It is about learning, adapting, and proving that enforcement-based cybersecurity can work — even in environments where nothing is ever quite "standard".
Contact
For enquiries related to operations in India: info@first-watch.co.nz
About First Watch
Founded in 2019 as a partnership between the University of Waikato and CTEK, First Watch develops enforcement-based cybersecurity for industrial control systems. The platform is deployed across energy, water, manufacturing, and maritime sectors internationally.