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Global technology company Cisco announced that its first Cybersecurity Co-Innovation Center in Europe is finally open. Located at the Leonardo da Vinci Science and Technology Museum, the center is dedicated to cybersecurity and privacy with a unique focus on complex supply chains, IoT (Internet of Things) technologies, critical country infrastructures like utilities, smart grids, and 5G, as well as public digital services with embedded security.

This is Cisco’s first cybersecurity center in Europe, which is aimed at supporting threat intelligence research and security incident response capabilities for the firm.

“Our first cybersecurity co-innovation center in Europe will enable more research, foster greater innovation and build capacity to create solutions for the most pressing societal security challenges, such as the security, resiliency and privacy of critical infrastructure which are at the core of secure digitization,” said Pastora Valero, Vice President of Government Affairs EMEAR at Cisco.

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Cybersecurity investment

“We know this is a priority in Europe and we are delighted to have opened this space alongside the Italian Government that will see the benefits extend across the whole region,” Valero said.

To further strengthen the technology company’s security efforts, the center will also be a venue for further studies and skills enhancements for security professionals. This is part of its ongoing investment in the space along with six co-innovation centers in Europe, which are intended to become “hubs for open innovation, bringing together communities of customers, partners, start-ups, accelerators, governments, universities and research communities to foster the exploration and development of new technologies.”

Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration

Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) Program, a global initiative designed to accelerate national digitization agendas in partnership and collaboration with national, state, and local governments, funded the Milan Center.

Cisco currently has completed over 250 projects to help accelerate digitization across Europe in collaboration with government leadership, of which nearly 40 are focused on cybersecurity in these countries.

Cisco’s investment in cybersecurity also extends to supporting students in gaining essential digital skills. Over the past 10 years, 144,595 students in the 28 EU countries have taken cybersecurity courses through Cisco Networking Academy. This includes 43,860 in the last fiscal year alone (FY19).