The CyberTech 2019 in Tel Aviv was a world-class event, with hundreds of companies, guests and debates on the world of Cyber Security, which highlighted Israeli excellence.
It was not just a compendium of what was done, but a real look at the future of a constantly evolving world.
CyberTech is a B2B platform specialized in organizing events dedicated to the cyber world. CyberTech events take place all over the world, including Tokyo, Bangkok, Indianapolis, Tel Aviv and Rome.
The event, held at Expo Tel Aviv, from 28 to 30 January, was particularly impactful, as some of the highest representatives of the Israeli government attended, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of the IT Directorate General (INCD) Yigal Unna, the founder and CEO of Check Point Gil Shwed and Dr. Orna Berry, a leading figure in the Israeli Cyber landscape.
Participants from 15000 Countries took part in the 80 Event, hundreds of startup, organizations and companies.
To mention only a few Organizations that took part in the Event, we can mention:
- The Mossad, or Intelligence Services.
- The 8200 Unit, or the unit of the Israel Defense Force which, under the command of Aman (Directorate of Military Intelligence), deals with SIGINT (interception and decryption of electronic signals), ELINT (collection of information through the use of electronic sensors), OSINT (research and correlation of data from public access sources) as well as cyber warfare.
- The Lahav 433 Unit, or a "branch" of the Israeli Police, specializing in the fight against Cyber Crime, known as the "Israeli FBI".
What was born from the Event is much more than a simple "summary" of what has been done.
The result was an analysis of how the whole country has changed over time to overcome challenges, some of which are apparently impossible.
The real keystone is the kind of reasoning that the whole country has exploited to become a world power, or the Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and connectivity.
The term "Big Data" defines a series of techniques, procedures and specific technologies, to extrapolate a value from enormous masses of data and information, both structured and not.
Knowing how to manipulate "Big Data" means accessing information and knowledge invisible to most.
With Artificial Intelligence, we mean the methodology and the technique by which, an Information System, performs certain reasonings and processes, very much resembling the reasoning carried out by a human being.
Connectivity is the ability that two systems have to communicate with each other.
So just think of the goal: a system capable of communicating with other systems at such a speed as to be able to exchange enormous masses of data, which can be analyzed with classical techniques of Big Data and automated by AI (Artificial Intelligence), so as to be able to anticipate events and be able to prepare a response (not by force of war and not necessarily due to a war scenario) to a changing market or situation.
Apparently it may seem like a utopian scenario, but actually the example that the prime minister shared with the participants at the event, is not to be underestimated, or the automobile industry.
We are approaching vehicles with autonomous driving, and even now our cars have become real computers on wheels.
This is because, as reiterated during the Conference, the "Big Data - IA - Connectivity" approach is not to be interpreted as the "point of arrival", but the foundation of an efficient society, which can go beyond the current limits and proactively respond to new challenges.
In essence, it must be the foundation of any activity.
It has been reiterated several times throughout the speech that Israel is a small state and apparently with few resources.
So the country has decided to adopt this new line and embrace the "new era" precisely in order to be competitive in the challenges with the world Big, and currently Israel is second in the global IT market, and as far as Cyber Security is concerned, it owns from only the 20% of the market.
The entire country has been able to transform the "resource" of data into "conceptual products", ideas and concrete tools.
To allow the country to build a considerable advantage, he worked a lot on Human Capital and the new generations, transforming the "Brains" and the "Systems" into "Big Data, AI, Connectivity".
The advantage created by this synergy is not just economic or warlike. The entire nation turns into a trailblazer for new technologies, forcing others to follow.
Obviously all this innovation has a cost, and this cost is a huge investment by the government in Education (as a study) and Training (understood as a human being), but also constant training and constant innovation.
It has been reiterated that the famous "five eyes" Israel is the "second eye", just to reaffirm one's own innovation and where they have come so far.
Some might think that such huge investment and innovation are ends in themselves, but it is not.
The goal of this enormous effort is not simply "to excel", but to "survive" in a constantly changing world.
So we need a single thinking "head", made up of young people, companies and institutions, which together form the "Country System", and allow us to create one of the most effective defense systems in the world.
To carry out this enormous project, the students are immediately supported by Military Intelligence, already from university education.
This synergy is then expanded when these young people are introduced to the world of Industry.
The result of this synergy, between Intelligence, University and Industry is a single "body" able to develop more effectively, as if they were in a "single place", "together".
An example of this synergy can be found in the city of Be'er Sheva, where there are railway lines, ad hoc road connections, the Command and Control Center for cyber defense, part of the Intelligence center, and the "cyber park" "With some of the best Cyber Security elements in the country.
Building an entire city based on the concept of synergy is a huge investment, but not enough to build the paradigm explained above.
To achieve Excellence, the government has implemented a policy exactly opposite to that which is currently in place in Europe.
The first measure that gave the impetus to a huge development was to lower taxes drastically to companies.
The second provision was to reduce the regulations on cyber security.
With these two measures, companies have been able to produce an important gain and succeed in a short time.
Another very important policy was to allow officers and military units to open up companies, a very intelligent choice by the government, to create the paradigm described above.
The government supports these companies, in particular those of the Cyber sectors, as they have also thought about maintaining the "structure" and social fabric of the country.
The major industries that allow the country to be one of the most powerful in the world are cyber security, mobility, health and food.
Cyber Security is considered the most important because it is responsible for keeping other industries and other services active.
In fact, therefore, we see how this whole system, based on that paradigm "Big Data - IA - Connectivity" is actually a real weapon.
The whole country, in this way, turns into the "System of Weapon" which manages to be as effective as it is competitive, whose "ammunition" is precisely the Technologies, Constant Innovation and People.
A real "Military Model", able to self-sustain thanks to the Community, and to restore Wellbeing to it.
Obviously all this allows companies, and the country, to have important commercial and educational partnerships, thanks also to the study program that allows foreign interns in Israeli companies.
It is now well established that to meet the new challenges, every nation must have a combination of a nationwide cybersecurity investment, coupled with a strong security-based industry.
It is therefore changing the way of doing Diplomacy, thus becoming a "Cybernetic Diplomacy".
Therefore, Israel encourages the union of various Diplomacies and counts on Partnership and cooperation to grow again.
So what can we learn from this?
Italy is implementing a series of reforms, currently focusing on the Public Administration, thanks to AgID and Digital Team, who are working very hard to reconstruct the fundamental paradigm.
What is still lacking in our country, are resources and serious investments for private individuals.
We are still far from seeing such a strong synergy between the Armed Forces and the Industry, but since the transformation process, albeit slowly, has begun, we can well hope that the efforts made in this regard can give us back the competitiveness and strength to improve the situation in our country.
For our country the opportunity to showcase its Excellencies, its achievements and plans for the future is approaching, thanks to the next CyberTech event, scheduled for the 24 and 25 September at La Nuvola Convention Center, in Rome.
You can view the program on the website dedicated to the Italian CyberTech Conference.
The CyberTech Events program is still tight, and the upcoming events scheduled for the 2019 and 2020 are already present on the CyberTech website.
To learn more:
https://youtu.be/e1uiwJ3m9KM
https://nocamels.com/2019/01/cybertech-2019-cybersecurity-january-telaviv/
http://www.difesaonline.it/evidenza/cyber/unit%C3%A0-8200-l%C3%A9lite-de...
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_8200
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahav_433
https://italy.cybertechconference.com/it/Program
https://italy.cybertechconference.com/it/other-conferences-by-cybertech
