Interview - NIS Summer School with Prof. Angelos Bilas, FORTHICS and Dr. Demosthenes Ikonomou, ENISA, Members of the Programme Committee of the 2nd ENISA-FORTH Summer School on Network and Information Security (NIS'09)
Date:8/20/2009 10:30:00 AM
HERAKLION,
following article ENISA Senior Expert Dr. Demosthenes Ikonomou and Prof.
2nd Network and Information Security (NIS) Summer School, taking place in
School in
Could you first describe the Summer School and who the organizers are?
The Summer School is a forum for experts in Information Security, policy
makers from EU Member States and EU Institutions, decision makers from the
industry, as well as members of the research and academic community, where
they can interact on cutting-edge and ground breaking topics in Network and
Information Security. Each year the Summer School has a special theme
focusing on cutting-edge topics that guide the selection of the lecturers and
topics. The theme for the
Networked World".
The Summer School is jointly organised by the European Network and
Information Security Agency (ENISA) and the Institute of Computer Science
(ICS) of the Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH).
Why have you chosen this focus area?
Network and Information Security (NIS) is a fundamental aspect of
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) of everyday computers and
mobile phones. Its widespread adoption is crucial for improving productivity,
learning, and leisure. Constant advances in ICT are creating new
opportunities for growth in European economy and for improving quality of
life for its citizens. At the same time, these advances pose new challenges
to NIS, requiring a high-level of alertness, solid understanding of
technology and trends, and continuous refining and adjustment of strategic
options.
Moreover, ENISA is dedicated to promoting a culture of security in
that will impact positively on the ability of EU Member States to respond to
cyber-attacks. It does so by pursuing a strategy of mitigating risks through
awareness, studies, reports and Position Papers on current NIS matters.
Today, privacy and trust are crucial concerns for any service,
application, and transaction offered over public communication networks.
Their importance is expected to increase and broaden even more with the
Future Internet. Therefore, ensuring integrity of information, protecting the
source of information, and establishing trust, among individuals as well as
in their interraction with objects and pervasive devices are key challenges.
These multiple facets of the Privacy and Security theme will be covered
by lectures and discussions on key policy, legal, academic and research
aspects. Towards this objective, the NIS'09 program includes 20 distinguished
lecturers from around the world that will identify current trends, threats,
and opportunities against the background of recent advances on NIS measures
and policies, especially in issues related to privacy and trust.
How does this differ from any other seminar/conference?
The main differentiating factor is the target audience. A considerable
number of established events in this field already exist mainly addressing
the interests of the research community. In this light, we consider that
there is an opportunity for the creation of an event that addresses the needs
of senior policy/decision makers from both the public sector as well as
industry. This decision, that was taken early on the life of the event, is
reflected in all the lectures given in the context of the summer school
namely putting an emphasis on the relevant policy aspects given rise by the
latest trends in ICT. Another difference is the format of the Summer School,
where presentations are by invitation only to ensure both high quality and
coherency on the topics.
How many participants took part to last year's NIS'08? Can you give some
examples of participants?
Last year's event that constituted its first edition attracted the
participation of 80 professionals in the field of Network and Information
Security. The Summer School participants represent policy and decision makers
from national as well as international bodies, such as National Regulatory
Agencies, the European Commission, legal and technical advisors of various
organizations, the telecommunication and consumer electronics industries, the
banking sector, and academic and research organisations.
Can you tell us more in detail what the topics are?
The lectures of the NIS'09 Summer School are grouped under five thematic
areas that represent some of the latest trends in ICT and give rise to a
number of threats and opportunities. These are:
- Privacy and Security in the Internet of Things
- Privacy and Security in e-Citizen Services
- Privacy and Security in Social Networks and 3D Social Worlds
- Privacy and Security in Smart Environments
- Enhancing citizens' confidence on infrastructures
Who are the keynote speakers?
Recognizing the multi-dimensional facets of the Privacy and Security
theme, an array of lectures will cover a variety of key aspects on policy,
legal, and research matters. Concerning the keynote speakers, among them are
two European Parliament members 'MEPs',
- Dr. Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (DE),
- Prof. Ioannis Tsoukalas (GR),
and the European Data Protection Supervisor, Mr. Peter Hustinx.
The US and EU perspectives on privacy and trust in a networked world will
be presented by:
- Dr. Peter Freeman, former Assistant Director of NSF, heading the
Computer & Information Science & Engineering Directorate, initiator
of the GENI Internet Research project and
- Dr. Joao Da Silva, Director of the Network and Communication
Directorate of the European Commission, that oversees all the EU funded
R&D work relating to mobile communications, broadband networks
including satellite communications, audio-visual and home networks;
software engineering and ICT for enterprise applications.
Will it be possible to take part of any outcomes from the Summer School?
The full proceedings of the NIS'09 Summer School will be made available
at Summer Schoolhttp://www.nis-summer-school.eu/ home page after the event.
For further details contact:
Demosthenes Ikonomou, ENISA, Demosthenes.ikonomou@enisa.europa.eu
Security Tools and Architectures, ENISA, sta@enisa.europa.eu
http://www.enisa.europa.eu/sta/
Sarah CAPOGROSSI Press and Communications Assistant
Mobile: +30-6948-460-124
Email: press@enisa.europa.eu
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