Did you know that ICT and cyber play a central role in the Swiss Armed Forces? Did you also know that the Swiss Armed Forces have their own robust and independent connection network that is being continuously expanded? In her video message, Viola Amherd tells us why the army needs this independent network, why today an army remains a necessity and how Switzerland's neutrality is maintained in cyberspace as well. In order to counter today's diffuse threat scenarios, the Swiss Armed Forces need capabilities that are coordinated and perfectly harmonized with each other. Women in the cyber domain are a personal concern for Viola Amherd. In fact, security is also female and the potential of women in ICT is enormous. The Swiss Armed Forces are always on the lookout for the best cyber talents, either in uniform or in civilian clothes.

When you start to work in IT security you think that the most needed competences are technical skills: do I know this protocol, does it have known vulnerabilities, do I understand how they work, which are the mitigation possibilities,… And then, reality strikes! In this talk, I will present you my journey towards my current role as Federal Commissioner for IT Security and the competences that are important today to work in IT security. In particular, I will share with you many reality checks that I had since starting working at the Federal government eight years ago. And for those of you without an IT background, don’t worry, you will see that for you too there are exciting opportunities in the IT security field.

Ever wondered how to build a cyber security strategy from scratch? Want to see how it is done? Join us to discover the essential ingredients and phases to build up a cyber security strategy. We will provide you with some theory and run you through a real-life, practical case we solved with one of our clients. At the end of this brief session you will have a better understanding of how things like threat landscape, talent, capabilities, etc. all come together and play an essential role in shaping a cyber strategy to keep a company more secure and make it more cyber resilient.

The great thing about cyber security is its interdisciplinarity: there are countless areas in academia, the private and the public sector in which expertise at the intersection between cyber and another issue is both needed and valued. However, the hard thing about cyber security is also its interdisciplinarity: how much do we need to know about technologies, how much about other issue areas? Myriam Dunn Cavelty will share her experience from twenty years of research, teaching and policy consulting, highlighting how the field of cyber security has changed over the years, and where the main opportunities and challenges lie now and in the future.

You will get a short introduction into mindfulness and how meditation will help you stay safe and sane in the crazy cybersecurity world. Mindfulness meditation can be described as a practice of paying attention in the present moment. Being aware of the present means also being more aware of possible cyber-security threats. Criminal hackers count on us not paying attention. Phishing mails, fraudulent web shops or documents are built as such that they seem legit on a first glimpse. A closer look would reveal the signs of fraud, but we're busy and distracted most of the time. Paying attention to the moment and what we do, would prevent many of those attacks. Mindfulness not only helps in the fight against cybersecurity. It is also a method for personal stress reduction and improved physical well-being.

There is no one way to make a difference in cyber space. In fact, there are thousands. Roles in cyber (-risk management, -security, -defense, -policy development, -research, -technology, …) require diverse skills and experiences. In order to bring this diversity to the forefront, we are bringing 5 real examples, portraits of 5 real women, who have made their way into a cyber role within the world's leading technology company and the world's leading reinsurer. Diversity is powerful!

IoT Security - why YOU should care? The answer is fabulously simple: Because you are directly affected by it. At work, at home, traveling… So I would love to invite you for a few minutes to join me in my world of IoT security, share some insightful examples from different environments and make YOU care…and hopefully discover how YOU can make a difference to make our world a little more secure and sustainable.

Today, we are up against faceless, nameless adversaries who have the capacity to destabilize organization’s cyber security but we also face a decade long problem of cyber skills talent shortage. If remain unsolved this renders organizations big or small unprepared to win this cyber challenge. So I begin to question whether what we have today is a skills gap problem or we have underrepresentation problem. Today’s cyber security industry has a gender problem a huge contributor of that is the absence of women in this in this field. Together, let us examine how we can humanize cyber security and understand the power it has to create a world that this not just bigger, better but safer . In this session we will learn : Culture of Inclusion – Discover your untapped potentials and learn what skills you need to develop as cyber professional to navigate in today’s and tomorrow’s cyber security workforce dynamics Diversity is Necessity - Understand how diversity is crucial to the future of cybersecurity and what women can bring to the equation to recognize and endorse the notion that shifting gender norms benefits everyone. Changing Face of Cyber Security - Connectivity has the power to enrich industries, economies and companies but it is not without risks as digital threats are multiplying. Learn exciting security research projects and how you can be part of the workforce that will shift the gears. ​