The International Cybersecurity Forum (FIC) is an annual industry event bringing together service and solution providers with companies, governments, policymakers and law enforcement agencies to strategise on the emerging challenges posed by digital threats.
With in excess of 15,000 visitors from Europe and beyond coming through the doors at the Lille Grand Palais, France, the three-day conference offers a rare opportunity to take the pulse of the cybersecurity sector.
Technology Exchange recently announced a strategic partnership with one of the driving forces behind the event, Avisa Partners. A Paris-based risk advisory, economic intelligence and global advocacy agency, Avisa Partners offers a suite of cybersecurity and risk mitigation services to clients around the world.
The collaboration will bring the combined expertise and international reach of Technology Exchange and Avisa Partners to new markets and customers.
“Technology Exchange is globally focused, working in multiple jurisdictions around the world at the cutting edge of technology,” said John Watts, managing partner, Avisa Partners’ London. “They see with their clients the increasing risks around cybersecurity and the need to protect core technology assets. Technology Exchange and Avisa Partners are working very closely together to ensure that we can deliver on the ground in markets around the world.”
“Technology Exchange is a part of a group for which connectivity is at the heart, and we realise that cyber security is evolving,” added Technology Exchange’s Hathal Sharif. “Today we are here [at the FIC] for intelligence gathering, working with our specialist partner, Avisa, to have a solid understanding of the cyber security requirements for our customers.”
While much of the world ground to a halt during the global Covid outbreak, cyber criminals around the globe became more active than ever. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre reported a 15-fold increase in the number of scams it took down at the height of the pandemic as criminals sought to take advantage of public fear, uncertainty and changing behaviours.
The evolution of global cyber-criminal activity was reflected in the conference portion of the event. From established endpoint and ransomware attacks of today to the growing threats posed to operational technology and supply chains, vendors and service providers were keen to pitch zero-trust technology solutions, human-firewall training and coordinated intelligence sharing as key strategies to keep criminals at bay.
“The days of countries just looking after their own cyber security needs are over,” said John Watts. “What we’ve seen – particularly in the last couple of years, and more acutely in the last couple of months with the Russia Ukraine conflict – is just how genuinely global the problem really is. The more people can talk, the more people can learn best practice and exchange ideas, the better.”
“A lot of the issues that we’re discussing are not academic issues. What they require is local knowledge, local understanding and local delivery,” John Watts concluded. “Working with somebody like Technology Exchange means that we, in partnership, can deliver solutions on the ground for customers in this increasingly complex area.”
