"It is necessary to develop a true culture of security"
Leonardo CEO Alessandro Profumo spoke at the top of the two-day Cybertech Europe event in Rome
Leonardo CEO, Alessandro Profumo, took to the main stage of Cybertech Europe in Rome this morning (Tuesday) to discuss the urgent need to come together in order to mitigate the ever-growing cybersecurity threats.
“Protecting data and digital infrastructure is key for the resilience of economic, political and social systems. We must develop a global approach to security that includes both the physical and digital dimensions, to guarantee essential services – energy, mobility, communications, health, defense,” said Profumo.
“In 2021, the global cost for cybercrime exceeded $6 trillion. One fifth of total attacks (targeted) Europe,” said Profumo, also referring to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on digital acceleration. He mentioned that Leonardo “monitors 115 thousand security events per second, and handles 1800 alarms per day.”
“Cybersecurity is being pushed to the top of the European agenda. It’s one of the priorities of the new recovery plan, it is central to the new defense strategy of the European Commission,” said Profumo. He explained that thanks to Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which allots 50 billion to digitalization and cybersecurity, particularly for the public administration,
“Italy can become a driving force in the promotion of an open, safe and secure European cyberspace” while closing “its digitalization gap with its main European partners.”
“Cybersecurity is an essential prerequisite to guarantee Europe’s digital sovereignty and strategical autonomy. It is a key enabling factor in developing new disruptive technologies in any important sector.”
However, relying on mere technology is not enough. Profumo strongly believes that in order to safeguard the European digital ecosystem, “it is necessary to develop a true culture of security and invest in cybersecurity education and workforce training.”
This is another aspect in which Leonardo comes into play. This past January, the corporation launches its Cyber & Security Academy, meant to be a center for the national cyber training ecosystem.
“It is not only based on our capabilities, but that we’re really trying to create an environment where many different providers of educational capabilities will be based, , in order to bring together public institutions, universities and other Italian entities to train ICT security operators in Italy and Europe,” said Profumo.
We believe cybersecurity to be a team effort. Private companies, national governments and European institutions must join in a collaborative framework to promote cyber resilience, safeguard communication and data and keep European society and economy secure.