PassCamp visits CyberTech Tel Aviv

Just last week PassCamp team has returned from one of the most influential cyber security conferences worldwide — CyberTech Tel Aviv.

The event took place in Israel — a truly marvelous country, that’s also crazy about technology and innovation. Even though the State of Israel has been established as an independent state pretty recently (1948), from day one they were very strongly focused on innovations, technologies and scientific breakthroughs. With loads of companies — from global leaders like General Motors or Google, to 1,000 new startups founded in Israel yearly, Israel has been truly established as a hub for innovation. That is exactly why flash-drives and antivirus software were invented in Israel. Same as the first concepts of autonomous vehicles and hundreds of other technologies, upcoming or already present in our daily lives. So it’s no wonder why one of the largest Cyber conferences takes place in Tel Aviv.

CyberTech is the global cyber industry’s B2B networking platform. It features events from all around the globe. Tokyo, Panama, Singapore, and Rome, just to name a few. After visiting CyberTech for the first time, we can strongly say that the event is a must-visit for anyone working in the Cyber industry.

So, why is that? What’s there to see at CyberTech? Well, the general format won’t blow you away. As it usually is with conferences, there are keynote speakers, panel discussions, B2B meetings, and some show elements. But let’s not be hasty with our conclusions, because CyberTech will blow you away with the sheer scope of the event. When the keynote speakers include such influential figures like Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Lithuania’s PM Saulius Skvernelis, IBM CTO Dr. Sridhar Muppidi, and countless others, every keynote is well-worth listening. Add an amazing jazz orchestra for the show elements, all the major cyber security players from around the globe (IBM, AWS, Microsoft, etc) along with a large bunch of cutting-edge startups. Fill it up with business delegations from over 50 countries and you’ve got yourself a temporary cyber security and innovation hub with the brightest minds from around the globe.Ok, so how do you get the most out of my conference experience?

Meetings, meetings, meetings

As anybody who has visited a conference will tell you, the best way to get the most out of it is to… well, talk. Talk to startups and get new, resourceful ideas. Talk to corporate and get an idea of what’s trending at the moment and learn the best practices. Talk to individuals and learn their stories, establish connections and bring home a potential business partner. In this age when most of our communication is done online, it feels exhilarating to actually talk to the people you’ve met online. And you can be sure the person you’re talking to is feeling the same. That’s why networking events like these exist and that’s why they are here to stay. Hopefully, for you to visit next year.

Trends

Another, less tangible take-away from conferences like CyberTech is feeling “the pulse” within the industry. As a human being, you’re preconditioned to notice patterns around you and industry-targeted events are no exception. At CyberTech it was very clear that all of the industry is experiencing radical changes that will soon transfer to the mass public. You must have noticed the shift in the industry as well, right? Everyone has started talking about Cyber Security and there are many reasons for that.

Last year was rich with widely discussed hacks and breaches, known to the general public — from still recent US election to Google, to countless others. The reality is that every year the number of cyber breaches increases and the time to act has come. “Head in the sand” technique is becoming less and less viable each day. With most of our valuable assets becoming digital — business-critical data, personal identity information, company details, bank accounts, client leads and contracts, cyber security is no longer a thing you can ignore. However, as we have told you before, simply purchasing few complex tools won’t solve your problems. Cyber tools must go hand-in-hand with educating your employees on the importance and instructions on how to actually use those tools.

At the very, very, very least, please secure your passwords.

Written by Arvydas Vaitkus, marketing manager at Adeo Web.

Images © Arvydas Vaitkus