Cybersecurity as top priority for building Digital Spain

In the 30th Telecommunications and Digital Economy Encounter, organized by AMETIC (Spanish Association of ICT Companies), Fundación Telefónica and Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo, GMV will be presenting cybersecurity as a business opportunity for Spain.

The digital transformation is making rapid headway in Spain and the world as a whole, while associated “threats are growing apace too”. These were the opening words of the speech given by Luis Fernando Álvarez-Gascón, General Manager of GMV Secure e-Solutions, at the panel discussion called “Cybersecurity: threats and opportunities”. He then made a declaration of intent: “We need to take firmly on board the idea that we are in conflict, fighting a duel of intelligence and resources with a formidable rival”.

Over and beyond this risk scenario, Álvarez-Gascón hails cybersecurity as a business opportunity and growth driver in Spain. “I wish to stress the fact that we are dealing here with a problem we have to solve, but it could also be seen as an opportunity”, argued the security manager, who also claimed that cybersecurity should be raised to the level of a matter of state, duly backed up by innovation policies and investments that help to knit together a national industrial fabric.

Álvarez-Gascón came up with hard figures on cyberattacks. Their impact adds up to a value of 400 to 500 billion dollars a year. In the defense field there are also investments, such as the specific $19-billion cybersecurity sum earmarked by Obama’s administration in 2017.

“Progress has to be made”, argued Álvarez-Gascón, advocating that firms should adopt a defined strategy against attacks. He also pointed out that the most immediate challenge lies in “tackling the unknown threats” with smart and resilient responses. He wound up by saying that “security innovation is a must” in the digital sphere.