EXATEL was a partner of the Państwo 2.0 (The State 2.0) conference organized by Computerworld (2-3 March 2017). The debates focused on reviewing the possibility of a modern state without telecommunications competences. In the context of huge investments in the digitization of public services and the growing cybersecurity threats, this has become a very up-to-date and important topic.
Controlling the field of telecommunications is a must
The first day of the conference was devoted to the changes introduced in state computerization, the strategy until 2020 and the currently most important government IT projects.
During his speech, president Nikodem Bończa Tomaszewski pointed out that a state without telecommunication competences was something unusual. Accordingly, solving telecommunications issues require cooperation between various entities within the private and public sectors. Control over the field of telecommunications must not be lost. Should such occur, the outcomes may be dire, and can include loss of control over cyberspace or loss of influence on information flow.
Cybersecurity and the defence system
The second day of the conference included several important thematic sessions on topics such as national defence. Many questions were raised, such as: What is the role of technology in the process of ensuring the security of the state and its citizens? How to protect and acquire defence sector technologies? Guests of the “Obrona 2.0 Defence 2.0” debate, among others, Exatel’s vice-president, Rafał Magryś, attempted to answer these questions.
The conclusion was that the Polish defence sector should cooperate with the “civilian” sector, invest in it and create cybersecurity independence with its participation. We need to ensure cybersovereignty by controlling all elements of IT systems, from telecommunications infrastructure, through computer hardware to source codes of the software developed for defence purposes. All of these elements should be developed within an ecosystem of Polish companies that should also exchange orders with each other – i.e., the state-owned sector should order from non-state-owned Polish entities, and non-state-owned Polish enterprises should utilize the capabilities of state-owned companies, e.g., in terms of links, expertise or technological and manufacturing potential – says Rafał Magryś.
