Magazine BEAST #16 2019

#Technology | Cybersecurity
67
The ecosystem is now offering a wide range of services and has
developed increasingly in the last 5 years. We are comparing
these offers to the local demand and then act: if necessary,
we can get in touch with international experts and niche
players, but our goal is also to talk to young entrepreneurs
in Luxembourg and guide them in the creation of specific
cybersecurity solutions,» highlights Pascal Steichen.
In this respect, SECURITYMADEIN.LU advocates «coopetition»,
described as the perfect blend between cooperation and
competition. According to the CEO, the creation of a strong
ecosystem will allow cybersecurity to become a key pillar
of the Luxembourgish economy. He adds: «It is actually
one of the common objectives set with the Ministry of the
Economy. Mapping all the companies was only the first step…
as we want to put Luxembourg on the global cybersecurity
map. Luxembourg recently ranked 11 th in the latest Global
Cybersecurity Index, and our mission is to help the country
become one of the major players when it comes to protecting
the cyberspace,» underlines Pascal Steichen.
In the near future, the agency will work on a wider testing
catalog: SECURITYMADEIN.LU will be coordinating the initiative,
with several service providers participating. The CEO explains:
«here again, we aim at making sure protection and security
systems are accurate and up-to-date, as well as making
them more efficient. Looking at the current cyberspace
and the increasing number of cyber threats, it is clear that
the protection aspect is not enough: more than ever, we
need to continuously test. We are therefore advocating a
process approach rather than just the addition of several
solutions.» Next year, SECURITYMADEIN.LU will also publish its
«Observatory» with the mission of centralizing all the data
and knowledge concerning cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
According to Pascal Steichen, the philosophy behind this
project remains the same: allowing IT security managers to
access to current – and local – information.
Cybersecurity and its significant impact now
discussed in Board meetings
«If, within your company, cybersecurity is not a Board issue
yet, it should be added to the agenda as soon as possible!»
explains the CEO of SECURITYMADEIN.LU, highlighting the fact
that more and more companies are dealing with it at a CEO/
Board of Directors level. He continues: «yet, too many players
are still not aware of the impact a cyber-attack could have
on their business. A recent study published by Telindus and
Cisco shows that one of the main problems remaining in the
implementation of an efficient cybersecurity strategy is that
top management is not completely supporting it. Education is
still needed in the field of cybersecurity». And an additional
study, by AIG, highlights that cybersecurity is the #1 challenge
that keeps CEO from sleeping at night…
In this respect, Pascal Steichen and his team at
SECURITYMADEIN.LU keep on promoting a proper cyber
hygiene which implies continuous actions rather than just
a collection of knowledge: «it’s all about taking care of the
data. The objective is to create an actual culture of security,
which starts with raising awareness and the identification
of the impact of potential incidents. Nowadays, several
prioritization tools are available for experts to concentrate
on crucial information and later scale. The goal is to become
cyber resilient, meaning that companies can bounce back
if attacked. Indeed, business need to continue in any case.
Moreover, after every single incident, new data needs to
feed the system in order to improve it: we are talking about a
virtuous circle here!»
The early implication of the government and public sector in
Luxembourg, with the addition of private players has allowed
the Grand-Duchy to be well-positioned on the cybersecurity
map. «The Ministry of the Economy always favored awareness
and transparency. The current – and well-balanced –
multidisciplinary committee, composed of members of
several ministries, from Defense to Foreign Affairs, wishes to
further develop the market by pushing innovative solutions
that answer to business needs. This pragmatic and agile
Luxembourgish approach is therefore extremely flexible and
translates into a small decision-making chain. Moreover, the
needs of the financial services allowed a rapid development
of cybersecurity. Together, all these elements contributed in
the creation of the local cybersecurity map and will help in
the constitution of a wider Greater Region ecosystem. As a
matter of fact, the next step is to position this future hub as
a key cybersecurity center in the years to come,» concludes
Pascal Steichen.
BEAST MAGAZINE #16