Top-level knowledge sharing: The Cyber Security Conference by Schwarz

120 decision-makers from the worlds of business, science, politics, intelligence, and law enforcement turned the experimenta science center in Heilbronn into the German center for cybersecurity on 22 and 23 March. At the Cyber Security Conference by Schwarz, they discussed current challenges related to digital security. Wladimir Klitschko’s direct insights into the Ukraine war marked the emotional highlight of the event.

“Russian aggression in Ukraine involves hybrid warfare, with implications for all of Europe. People are behind every act of manipulation, sabotage, and software. And we as a community can and must join together to defend ourselves against these people,” says Wladimir Klitschko.

Until the year 2025, experts are anticipating a total of EUR 10.3 trillion in damages around the world as a result of cyberattacks. This also includes hacker attacks on government agencies. On average, each individual incident costs between three and four million euro. The key message of the conference was: Our governments are facing major challenges. CEOs and business owners also have to make cybersecurity a top priority.

“In many companies, there is a huge communication gap between CEOs and IT: The IT department has to fight to secure more funds for cybersecurity, while the CEO often only wants to be told that everything is fine,” explains Christian Müller, CEO of Schwarz IT. “That is why we deliberately brought together business owners and CEOs with economic experts, government agencies, cybersecurity companies, and news agencies at the Cyber Security Conference by Schwarz,” adds Rolf Schumann, CEO of Schwarz Digital. “In doing so, we can close this gap and improve cybersecurity in the company.”

“In the future, cyberattacks will be one of the greatest threats to both the government IT infrastructure and the economy. As such, I applaud the Schwarz Group for using this conference to create a platform where we can discuss this subject openly and actively seek to improve security together,” explains Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, in his keynote speech at the conference.

Dialogue on equal terms

Testimonials from CEOs of companies that had fallen victim to attacks demonstrated what happens directly after a successful attack. In presentations and podium discussions, representatives from the government, news agencies, and law enforcement agencies explained the policies they are using to increase digital security and provided glimpses into the national and international hunt for cyber criminals. Economic experts and researchers presented current developments in the field of cybercrime and outlined potential future attack scenarios.

“Cyber Security Report by Schwarz”

Following the conference, the companies of the Schwarz Group published a cybersecurity report. The comprehensive document sums up the general threat level due to cybercrime at present and recommends concrete measures to ensure more security in the digital world.