David Goodman

CyberSec4Europe will host, with the friendly support of the Representation of the State of Hessen to the EU, an online panel discussion on the evening of 5 May to explore issues relating to developing SME’s awareness of cybersecurity in order to improve resilience and responses to cyber attacks, which will be an important aspect of the work of the new European Cybersecurity Competence Centre in Bucharest.

SMEs account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation, innovation, and global economic development. SMEs represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide, and similarly, in the European Union, 99% of enterprises are SMEs who provide two-thirds of private sector employment. In 2018, there were over 25 million SMEs in the European Union, employing 100 million people, of which 93% were micro-SMEs, defined as having 10 or less employees.

Given the size and limited resources of most SMEs, it’s not surprising that SMEs are as susceptible but more vulnerable than larger enterprises to cyber attacks. However, without effective training and support, many SMEs are not sufficiently protected or able to recover from the impact of such attacks with, in many cases, dire consequences.

Panelists will include a representative from DG CONNECT together with other experts working to protect this key dimension of the European digital economy.

18.45 Event opens

19.00 Welcome:

  • Mark Weinmeister, Secretary of State for European Affairs of the State of Hessen
  • Kai Rannenberg, Goethe University Frankfurt, CyberSec4Europe Co-ordinator

19.10 Panel Discussion:  Developing SME Cybersecurity Resilience in Europe

Panellists:

  • Martin Übelhör Head of Cybersecurity Industry and Innovation, DG CONNECT, European Commission
  • Annika Linck Senior EU Policy Manager, European DIGITAL SME Alliance
  • Nicholas Ferguson Trust-IT Services, Partner, CYBERWISER.EU; Project Coordinator, cyberwatching.eu
  • José Francisco Ruiz Atos Spain, Technical Coordinator, Cyber-GEIGER

Moderator: David Goodman Trust in Digital Life

20.30 Session ends 

Please register here by 5 May 2021.