Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019 23 cYBer A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of presenting at CANARIE's 2017 National Summit in Ottawa with my good friend, Roni Zehavi, CEO of Israel-based CyberSpark. A cross- section of scientists, practitioners, academ- ics, entrepreneurs and professionals, the Summit showcased the interconnected- ness of science, society and cyber–how it began, its evolutionary path, and what the future holds as this global convergence unfurls before our eyes. The contributions were rich and thought-provoking, provid- ing a glimpse into the power of technol- ogy in our day-to-day lives. Totally in my wheelhouse, I presented A Cyber Retrospective and Peek into the Fu- ture that focused on the Internet's monu- mental impact on social change and what we can look forward to with Web 3.0, artificial intelligence, open identity, ubiq- uitous connectivity and more. Journeying from the analogue Internet to the World Wide Web's rich multimedia and then ex- ploring deep trends that enriched every aspect of our lives, I wrapped up with a bonus Gangnam Style dance-a-long. The crowd was lit. Roni's presentation, Cybersecurity Sparking Research and Innovation, was serious. Actually, it was hardcore–it wasn't where we were and where we might be going but a de- finitive statement of claim and rapid-fire account of Israel's extraordinary suc- cess and growth in the sector. Spotlighting Israel as a powerhouse of cyber capabilities and rigor- ous, military-inspired ap- proaches, Roni described how this shaped what it has brought to the global table–along with Singapore, Malaysia, U.S., UK and Esto- nia. Not surprising, the crowd was crushing on Israel. A few decades ago, the road ahead for Israel seemed to be predicted, as if they had paved it themselves. In a way, they had–although not without challeng- es, some of which they are experiencing today. Irrespective of that, Israel is unri- valled in its self-promotion of how it has come to be one of the leaders in cyberse- curity; it's not just smoke and mirrors. One part political, one part cultural and maybe another one part historical, it is not surprising that the Israeli government's strategy on cybersecurity (actually, security in general) is rooted in achieving success where failure is not an option. As it should be, right? After all, cybersecurity permeates every sector, making it the backbone of product and service integrity for many busi- nesses and governments, stretching to mili- tary, cyber warfare and national security. israel flexes its cyber muscles How exactly did Israel rise to international excellence in cybersecurity? Well, Israel's foray into what is now an $82 billion dol- lar industry was complicated and a much slower trajectory than it appears. Possibly un-replicable, Israel's cyber sector crown- ing resulted out of necessity, market op- portunity and Israel's history, with the Israeli government playing a key role in its positioning. Long before cyber was a thing, Israel was already forward-thinking and independent- ly vigilant in national security, making it central to its governmental strategy. Look- ing back, it is easy to see how Israel's cur- rent political and social climate manifested its autonomy and resilience, arising from historical events, such as Israel's indepen- dence in 1948, the Palestine conflict and the Arab League boycott of Israel. These legacies are inextricable from their culture– it's in their blood and part of their habitus. In the 1990s, Israel became one of the first countries to both legislatively and op- erationally defend its critical systems. By developing the e-Gov project Government Infrastructure for the Internet Age and adopting Resolution 84/b, that defined critical computerized infrastructure, Israel set the foundation for comprehensive cyber responses. Shortly after, Israel developed the National Information Security Author- ity (NISA), the authoritative and governing body for information security and critical infrastructures, further entrenching and framing its future capabilities. With the National Cyber Initiative de- veloped in 2010 to address the differentia- tion of threats and to analyze the benefits of the sector to the economy, academia and national security, Israel was in the top five advancing countries in cyber innova- tion 1 . With no one factor responsible in at- taining its success in cyber, Israel had per- fectly strategized a storm of change with its cultural, historical and political unique- ness and market readiness. Notably, the Israeli government took on the role of business catalyst, investing

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