Greater Geneva Bern Area Announces Launch of Cybersecurity Initiative

GENEVA and LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Nov. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The regions of Geneva and Lausanne in Western Switzerland have come together to launch Trust Valley, a public-private initiative supporting the development of cutting-edge technology and pioneering international governance in digital trust and cybersecurity. It is the first-ever regional initiative of its kind in the world.

In an area less than the size of Long Island, NY, more than 300 cybersecurity companies and organizations are tackling the major challenge of digital security. This includes addressing the rapid increase in cyberattacks. Recent reports show that cybersecurity breaches happen in the US every 39 seconds. Since Covid-19, the FBI has reported a 300% increase in cybercrimes, leveraging the opportunity to attack vulnerable networks as office work moved to personal homes.

Switzerland's long history of neutrality, legal certainty and political stability combined with its renowned data protection regulations have positioned the country as a leader in the trust economy. Western Switzerland's cybersecurity technology builds off cloud computing expertise dating back to the development of the World Wide Web at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research based in Geneva.

Trust Valley constitutes the largest concentration of cybersecurity talent in Switzerland, including 500 experts from institutions such as:

• CyberPeace Institute: Funded by the Hewlett Foundation, Mastercard, and Microsoft, the CyberPeace Institute works to safeguard the integrity of the online ecosystem by directing assistance to vulnerable victims of large-scale cyberattacks and promoting greater accountability when those attacks violate international laws.
   
• Swiss Digital Initiative: The Swiss Digital Initiative aims at bringing ethical principles and values into technologies through concrete projects. It builds upon the numerous initiatives and commitments issued by states, international organizations and the private sector in order to enable a global dialogue on the ethics of digitalization.
   
• SICPA Square One: SICPA, the world's premier supplier of ultra-secure inks for currency notes, passports, and sensitive documents, is building Square One, a global center for the advancement of the trust economy. As of 2021, the campus will provide governments, international corporations, universities and entrepreneurs with a secure and supportive environment to invent the systems and technologies that will underpin the societies of tomorrow.

Trust Valley also includes Tech4Trust, a unique Swiss acceleration program for start-ups that develop innovative and critical solutions for the digital transformation of industry and society. The program is now open to international companies.

For more information, contact Mark White, Director USA, Greater Geneva Bern area • Invest Western Switzerland ([email protected] or 1-949-395-0642), or visit investinswitzerland.com/cybersecurity.

Related Files

GGBa_2020_Greater Geneva Bern Area Announces Launch of Cybersecurity Initiative.pdf

Related Images

greater-geneva-bern-area-and-trust.jpg
Greater Geneva Bern area and Trust Valley logo
Logo of Greater Geneva Bern area (Western Switzerland's foreign investment promotion agency) and Trust Valley (Western Switzerland's center of expertise for digital trust and cybersecurity).

Related Links

Greater Geneva Bern area website

Trust Valley website

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/greater-geneva-bern-area-announces-launch-of-cybersecurity-initiative-301175278.html

SOURCE Greater Geneva Bern area