The annual Security Technology Summit will take place as usual in Riga, New Teika, on the 17th of October. This security industry event, different from other but at first seemingly similar events, will bring together leaders, experts, budding professionals and enthusiasts from various fields to learn about the latest developments in security technology and human-centered security design.

This year, the Main Stage will host such colourful personalities as Kārlis Apalups (Director of the Academic Master's Programme "Organisation Security Management", Turiba University; Head of the Security Group "ZEVS"), Kaspars Rožkalns (Chairman of the Board of UPB Nams), Ilze Jansone (expert of the Civil Protection and Operational Information Department of the Riga State Municipality), Agate Ambulte (Head of Digital Transformation Artificial Intelligence at Riga Stradins University), Elviss Strazdiņš (founder of the Digital Security Centre and technology enthusiast), Uģis Uškāns (Head of the Legal Property and Guarantee Underwriting Department at BALTA), Francois Levy (Business Development Director EMEA at Digifort Global) etc.

Each of the speakers will cover this year's hot topics that affect the daily work of both individuals and legal entities and are relevant to virtually every area of business, as the main stage speakers will share insights on cybersecurity and data protection; what to know about today's risks and what to do in the event of a threat; what lessons insurers have learned from real losses; how to manage risk in results-driven design and construction; how to strategically introduce AI into your organisation and what the obstacles and challenges may be in its gradual roll-out; and of course, every entrepreneur's Achilles heel for this year: How to adapt the implementation of the NIS2 Directive, coming in autumn, to their security technology.

After the speakers, the audience can definitely look forward to an engaging discussion, as a panel discussion will take place on stage, during which each participant of the Summit will be given the opportunity to express their current security concerns, to which they will receive suggestions for possible solutions from the experts who spoke during the first part of the day. This is a great and unique opportunity to find answers to the problem at hand, free of charge, in person, as well as to hear the experiences of other attendees and learn from the unwanted situations of others, discussing current issues that companies are facing today. From data breaches to privacy concerns, these discussions aim to provide practical solutions.

"As an insurer, I see what has worked or not worked to prevent or mitigate an accident in my day-to-day experience of real accidents. I conclude that the best protected companies are those where safety is a human concern in partnership with technology. At the Summit, I will talk in more detail about lessons from the insurer's experience that can help businesses avoid significant losses and also make insurance more affordable. It will also be interesting to hear what are the current security solutions and challenges from the perspective of other speakers," concludes Uģis Uškāns, Head of Legal Property and Guarantee Underwriting at AAS BALTA.

The second half of the day will be a series of hands-on workshops, giving participants the opportunity to test their knowledge and skills. The five workshops will cover threat detection, encryption and secure coding practices, as well as the opportunity to physically test the robustness of various security technologies in real-life conditions.

For example, in one of the meet the ethical hackers workshops, visitors will follow in the footsteps of cyber criminals and see the full life cycle of ransomware viruses. This particular workshop will showcase different groups of cyber criminals, reveal common methods of data theft and what can be done with the stolen data. In addition, the behind-the-scenes of the dark web data trade, the ransomware team, will be explored. Recommendations on how to protect your company and its employees and where to turn for help will also be provided.

Although seemingly similar industry events are held several times a year, this Security Technology Summit is focused on the mutual exchange of views between the experts and attendees, as well as the acquisition of valuable up-to-date information and practical skills in one day. The opportunity to interact face-to-face with both leading security technology manufacturers and executives at various levels of local companies and organisations in one place is a valuable long-term investment.

As there are no plans to stream the event online this year, we kindly ask everyone working in the security sector who is interested in the speakers' topics and their experiences to register for the Summit free of charge today, as the number of in-person attendees is limited.