Cybertech Europe 2024: Interview with Trend Micro

(To Alessandro & Francesco Rugolo)
11/10/24

Thanks to the collaboration between SICYNT and Difesa Online, we participated in the 2024 edition of the Cybertech Europe, held in Rome at the Nuvola on 8 and 9 October. This event confirms itself as one of the most important in Italy and at European level in the field of cybersecurity and innovative technologies, bringing together experts, companies and policy makers to discuss the main challenges and solutions of the sector.

During the event, we had the opportunity to interview Alessandro Fontana, country manager di Trend Micro Italy, who told us about the company's history, new solutions in the field of cybersecurity and their vision for the future.

Trend Micro is an American-Japanese multinational corporation founded in 1988 in Los Angeles by Steve Chang, Jenny Chang, and Eva Chen. Initially focused on software security solutions, the company soon moved into the antivirus sector. In 1990, it moved its headquarters to Taipei, and then settled in Tokyo in 1992. During the 90s, through partnerships with Intel and Novell, Trend Micro grew in the global and US markets. Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 1998 and on the NASDAQ in 1999, the company continued to expand through acquisitions and partnerships, becoming one of the leaders in the field of cybersecurity.

Since its inception, it has focused on cybersecurity, protecting systems, data and information of companies and users. In Italy, Trend Micro has established itself as a strategic partner of the public and private sectors, having won the agreements for "Security on Premises - Perimeter, endpoint and anti-apt protection for PAs" and "Remote Security Services", which confirm its relevance in the national context.

Currently, Trend Micro in Italy has 45 employees, distributed throughout the territory to ensure proximity to customers.

When asked how Trend Micro sees the Italian cybersecurity market, Fontana underlined that the sector is rapidly expanding and there are many opportunities and challenges. Lately, Italian companies have shown a greater awareness of Cyber ​​Security and new technologies in general and this suggests that we are finally starting to see the first results of the many efforts made in recent years. There is a growing need for integrated solutions and an ever-increasing awareness on the part of organizations, especially regarding the protection of critical infrastructures and the adoption of risk management measures.

Trend Vision One: The flagship product

Trend Micro is heavily focused on its platform Trend Vision One, a system of dashboards that allows customers to view and manage different security components in a unified way. This solution aims to simplify threat analysis and management, providing a centralized view that helps prevent and respond to attacks more effectively.

The new features of cyber risk management are based on the use of artificial intelligence within the platform. In this way, more than ten industry technologies are integrated into a single offering, allowing security, cloud and IT operations teams to proactively manage risk.

The result is simplified management of the entire cyber risk lifecycle, from threat discovery to risk assessment tailored to the business or organization, from prioritization to remediation. This provides users with far greater benefits than using legacy attack surface management tools.

Artificial Intelligence: AI for Security and Security for AI

One of the main areas of innovation for Trend Micro is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Fontana explained how the company approaches this field with two distinct goals:

AI for Security - Using AI to improve analysts' ability to identify and respond to threats faster and more efficiently.

• AI Security - protecting the AI ​​systems themselves, ensuring they are not vulnerable to external attacks or manipulation. This second aspect is increasingly relevant, given the growing role of AI in business operations.

Speaking about the future of cybersecurity, Alessandro Fontana highlighted how risk management is one of the fundamental pillars of modern cybersecurity. Trend Micro is developing solutions for theAttack Surface Risk Management (ASRM), which provides predictive analysis of attack surfaces and vulnerabilities, helping organizations mitigate risks before they materialize.

Training: A pillar for safety

Another key aspect discussed in the interview is staff training, which Fontana considers the "most important factor" in strengthening corporate security. Trend Micro offers free training for customers who purchase its systems, and has two dedicated figures in Italy who directly support companies with training on the job.

“Children may be tech-savvy, but they are particularly vulnerable to online risks from viruses and ransomware to social media threats, fake news and cyberbullying.”

The company also has a portal e-learning and promotes initiatives such as Internet Safe for Kids and Families, an online safety awareness program aimed at young people, through interactive tools such as games and cartoons.

The near future looks increasingly complex and potentially dangerous.

One of the biggest threats is represented by the Deep fake and to combat it Trend Micro has created Deep Fake Inspector. The Trend Micro platform now goes beyond traditional image noise analysis and color detection techniques and also analyzes user behavioral elements, providing a much more effective approach to detecting and stopping malware. deepfake.

Thanks to the plug-in Deep Fake Inspector, the company will provide solutions to identify and neutralize manipulated videos and images, which represent one of the new frontiers of disinformation and cyber attacks.

The interview with Alessandro Fontana, whom we thank for his availability and hope to meet again in the future, allowed us to fully understand how Trend Micro is addressing the challenges of the contemporary cyber landscape, with a strong commitment to artificial intelligence, risk management and staff training.

Events like Cybertech Europe remind us how crucial it is to stay up to date and innovate in a world where cyber threats are constantly evolving.

To learn more:

https://www.trendmicro.com/it_it/business.html

https://sicynt.org/

https://www.yourtechstory.com/2021/09/14/trend-micro-the-worlds-largest-...