The cost of global cybercrime is expected to exceed USD 6 trillion by 2021 and the urgent need to protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks was the focus of yesterday’s InnovItalyUAE session, where government, industry and academic experts from Italy and the UAE looked at how to address this issue.
The Embassy of Italy to the UAE is holding InnovItalyUAE in collaboration with Khalifa University and Dubai Future Foundation. The series of six, online live forums are being held between September and December and will explore opportunities to enhance bilateral cooperation between Italy and the UAE.
The first forum held this afternoon ‘Cybersecurity: Towards a New Paradigm?’ commenced with a welcome from His Excellency Nicola Lener, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, who said, “Innovation is the most powerful driver to develop the world economy. It is the backbone of our country and remains a priority for investment. New technologies, platforms, automation and networks allow the development of new business models and help countries to grow, which improves government services and international cooperation. The discussions that began today raised a number of issues around impacts of cyber-attacks and how we can foster cooperation between Italy and the UAE and nations worldwide to deal with such attacks.”
Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University added, “We are proud to showcase our faculty expertise in cybersecurity and the related fields. We believe this forum, for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, will further cement the strong relationship between the UAE and Italy.”
During the live discussion, eight other prominent experts presented their thoughts on the challenges, solutions and opportunities.