As IT infrastructures develop and grow, they also become more prone to failure. Security in IT is an increasingly important and complex topic that requires forethought, discussion and constant vigilance to keep up with any problems, be they internal failure or outside threats. With this spotlight on security, SI aims to remind its members to always keep the security of their projects and working environments in mind. To this end, we want to facilitate discussion with events and security exercises and invite all our members to join us.
To kick off our year of security-focused events, which will culminate in SITC 2025, we hosted a SI Evening Talk with security consultant Stefan Dydak on November 14th 2024. Under the title "Cybersecurity: Beyond the Hype", Dydak explored common pitfalls in security, the mundane actions we can take to protect ourselves and why these often matter far more than we realize.
While much attention is given to the potential of blockchain and generative AI—both as tools for protection and as security risks—their implementation often lags behind. Despite advances in infrastructure and capabilities, many of the same old problems persist. At its core, cybersecurity is less about technology and more about people and processes.
In his talk, Stefan Dydak highlighted five key aspects necessary to make a system secure: Asset Management, Zero Trust, Security Processes, Supply Chain Security, and Crisis Management.
As part of our Security Spotlight, we discussed the new Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (nFADP) at this SI Evening Talk. Our two speakers, Dr. Thomas Steiner and Pascale Schwerzmann-Saluz discussed the impact of this new law and how IT professionals should navigate it.
Keynote Speaker: Thomas Steiner
Dr. iur., LL.M., Attorney at Law, Senior Advisor/Partner
"New Swiss FDPA: What IT professionals need to know and how they can contribute to operationalizing compliance"
Thomas Steiner provided an overview of the key requirements and implementation measures as well as the likely impact for businesses and individuals. The presentation focussed on areas that are particularly relevant to IT professionals and offered practical guidance on how IT professionals can support their organization’s operationalization of compliance with the nFDPA.
Second Speaker: Pascale Schwerzmann-Saluz
MLaw, Executive MBA HSG
Technical Specialist for Information Protection, Risk Management and Compliance, Microsoft Switzerland
"Achieving Resilience through Cloud Technology"
Pascale Schwerzmann-Saluz addressed the biggest challenges and highest priorities for risk and compliance from an executive leadership point of view. She explained what a hyperscale cloud is and brought best practices and examples in order to show how resilience can be achieved by meeting security, compliance and risk challenges with the help of technology.
The SI Evening Talk was moderated by SI Vice President Nora Sleumer.