Span organized the Span Cyber Security Arena conference at The Westin Zagreb Hotel for the first time, gathering over 400 attendees. On this occasion, Croatian and international experts shared their knowledge and experiences to strengthen cyber resilience. A panel discussion and 15 lectures covered topics related to the technological aspects of cyber security, the role of artificial intelligence in cyber security, compliance with the latest regulatory requirements and financing of cyber security from EU funds.

Two keynote lectures by world experts in the field of IT and law at the very beginning were the highlights of the conference. Paula Januszkiewicz is a worldwide recognized cyber security expert who talked about the increasing challenges we face today concerning highly coordinated, state-sponsored attacks in which artificial intelligence plays one of the biggest roles. Besides Januszkiewicz, the Austrian lawyer and activist Max Schrems gave a lecture. His legal proceeding against Facebook in 2013 laid the foundation for today’s data privacy regulation between the EU and the US. Schrems emphasized protecting people’s rights in an era of increasingly intensive monitoring and exploitation of data.

The rest of the conference program was divided into tech and regulatory parts, with numerous renowned experts who also provided significant input. Jorge de Almeida Pinto and Jonas Bülow Knudsen spoke about Active Directory in front of an IT and cybersecurity-focused audience. Span’s experts Mario Santro and Igor Terlević presented case studies on Microsoft Azure and EDR solutions.

Topics related to compliance and legislation did not lack big names, so during that part of the conference, the most significant lectures were given by Gianluca Misuraca, who pointed out that national governments must use artificial intelligence to improve public services, while also taking into account fundamental human rights, as well as Vinzenz Heussler from the European Commission, who emphasized the importance of the NIS2 Directive in strengthening the cyber resilience of the entire EU.

“Cyber security is no longer just a technical challenge, it concerns everyone today and is necessary for the stability and growth of the economy and society. In an age where attacks are becoming more and more sophisticated, we must treat cyber security as a public good. Only by investing in prevention and intensive cooperation can we ensure system resilience and protect data that is an integral part of our business and everyday life. That is why we launched the Span Cyber Security Arena”, emphasized Nikola Dujmović, President of the Management Board of Span at the opening of the conference, where it was also pointed out that cyber security is not only intended for large organizations but also small and medium-sized companies, which are increasingly becoming the target of cyber attacks.

This is confirmed by this year’s report on global cyber security, according to which more than 30% of small and medium-sized companies report a deterioration in their cyber resilience, and their biggest problems are financial constraints and a lack of trained cyber security experts. Part of that challenge will be tackled in the upcoming months by the National Coordination Centre for Industry, Technology, and Research in the Field of Cybersecurity. “This is a recently established center in Croatia, similar to the ones in other EU member states, whose activities are aimed precisely at strengthening the cyber resilience of micro, small and medium-sized organizations, academic and research communities, civil society and other stakeholders”, said Vlatka Marčan, assistant director of CARNET and head of NCC.

Although the necessity of investing in systems and knowledge in the field of cyber security was the guiding principle of the entire conference, one of its key messages was that we must stop thinking of cyber attacks in terms of the final battle. “We need less panic and much more of a calm and thorough approach to our cyber security. At the same time, we must be aware that a 100% defense against cyber attacks does not exist, but being well prepared will help you overcome the crisis more easily and ensure better business continuity”, said Mate Matijašević, one of Span’s lecturers at the conference.

This year Cyber Security Arena is an introduction to an even larger conference that will be held next year in Opatija and will last for three days, from 19 to 21 May.