On the 20th of April, Stryve held its Cyber Essentials for SMEs event at the Gibson Hotel in Dublin. This invite-only event was the first of its kind and open to Stryve’s clients and partners alike.  

After some coffee and a few pastries, the event kicked off with a talk delivered by Paul C Dwyer, President of the International Cyber Threat Task Force and CEO of Cyber Risk International. Paul discussed the reality of cyberwar in Dublin and gave insights into the geopolitical dimensions of cybercrime, with a particular emphasis on Russia.  

Following this, Stryve’s own CISO, Paul Delahunty, spoke to attendees about cyber insurance and addressed the difficulties many have faced with obtaining it in recent months. Paul offered some tips to help those interested obtain cyber insurance. However, as he pointed out, this is an area that is rapidly becoming uninsurable.  

Our first two talks were followed by a roundtable discussion. Roundtable discussions involved attendees being split up into smaller groups and then attending a discussion chaired by a cyber expert. Attendees were free to choose whichever talk interested them the most or, if they did not have a particular preference, our team were on hand to assign them to one.

Each roundtable discussed a different topic which included:

1. Managing Your Cyber Risk.
2. Are you DORA ready – the latest EU compliance regulation?
3. Effective Cyber Security Requires a Marathon Runner, not a Sprinter.
4. The Role of CISO for SMEs.
5. Life After Ransomware.
6. Threat Mitigation Tools.
7. Understanding Your Attack Surfaces.
8. Generative AI vs Email Security: How an Already Weak Attack Vector is
9. Becoming More Vulnerable.

“The engagement from attendees throughout the whole day, but particularly during the roundtable discussions, was really enjoyable”, Paul Delahunty, CISO at Stryve, remarks.

After a brief coffee break, the event resumed with a talk delivered by Pat Larkin, Chairperson of Cyber Ireland. Pat discussed how the first-past-the-post approach to cybersecurity is not only short-term but also short-sighted. He explained that businesses need to take small, consistent, and steady steps to build up their cyber resilience.

Following this, Detective Superintendent Pat Ryan from the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau discussed the role of the Bureau as well as the importance of reporting cybercrime. He also shared some key statistics on the rates of cybercrime in Ireland and explained its impact across the country.

Two more round table discussions followed these talks and soon after it was time for lunch. The lunch break gave our clients and partners a chance to mingle and discuss some of the key takeaways from the day.

“There was great networking between attendees,” Andrew Tobin, CEO at Stryve, comments.

Lunch was followed by a talk from Rois Ní Thúma PhD, Head of Cyber Governance at Red Sift. Rois offered attendees an insight into what the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is and how it is going to affect businesses moving forward. She outlined the various legal changes that the Act will introduce, emphasising how, under it, those affected by data breach may now be able to take civil actions.  

The day ended with a panel discussion which featured the speakers from earlier in the day and several other experts. The panel discussion gave attendees the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. In particular, many attendees were keen to learn more about DORA and the steps they need to take to respond to this new legislative framework.  

The day was a tremendous success and a wonderful opportunity for clients and thought leaders to engage with contemporary cybersecurity issues. The event was unique in the sense that it was designed to inform and educate attendees, not to sell them a particular product or service.

Gillian Moody, Managing Director at Stryve, comments, “I was really pleased with the event, there was a great atmosphere and attendees learned so much about various aspects of Cyber Security. Attendees took away key information to help them on their Cyber Security path rather than endless product vouchers. It was not just partners selling solutions: it really was an information event and not a sales event.”

Thank you to all of our clients and partners who attended the event and made it such a success. We look forward to hosting another event next year.