This article is a feature by swisscybersecurity.net, published on 17.12.2024, written by Coen Kaat and yzu. You can find the original article here (in German).

In November, the Swiss Cyber Institute presented the Swiss CISO Awards for the second time. Michael Ruppe, CISO at Adcubum, was honoured as “CISO for Digitisation”. In the second part of the interview series on the CISO Awards, Ruppe explains how digitisation and cyber security can go hand in hand.

Where is the award now? On the windowsill at home? In the office next to the monitor? Or well protected in a cardboard box?
The award stands in a display case next to my desk in my office at home. There it is protected from dust and still clearly visible.

What does this award mean for you personally or for IT security in general?
For me personally and probably also for IT security in general, it is a sign that we are on the right track with our efforts. The fact that there is a separate category for digitalisation at the Swiss CISO Awards only shows how important this topic is for all of us and that we will and must continue to be at the forefront with security. With all the technological trends that are currently emerging or already exist on the market, it is not always easy to keep up, so the fact that we in security are being recognised in such a category should only encourage us all to do our best here.

You were honoured as “CISO for Digitalization”. How do you ensure that digitalization and cyber security go hand in hand?
Especially in the context of digitalization, everything is very fast-moving, with new technologies and requirements coming our way almost daily. From a security perspective, it is therefore important to be involved right from the start when we are faced with new technologies or requirements and want to introduce them.
In order to master the path of digitalization hand in hand, we in security must be very closely connected to the business, but at the same time always keep an eye on the technological and legal trends on the market in order to incorporate the latest developments directly into our own digitalization strategy.

What particular security challenges did digitalization pose for you at Adcubum?
The biggest challenge for digitalization at Adcubum is certainly the high level of security requirements in the industry in which we operate and those that we have additionally imposed on ourselves in order to really go the extra mile with security. The biggest challenge in recent months has therefore essentially been to align new developments in the context of digitalization with the security standards that we apply and that our customers also value.

Many companies are currently stepping on the gas when it comes to digitalization so as not to miss the boat in the area of GenAI. What do you need to pay particular attention to when implementing artificial intelligence in business processes?
In this context, I don’t think there is one perfect answer that applies equally to every company. Ultimately, it depends on the company itself, how far you want to go here and the industry in which you operate, which of course also means that the requirements for a GenAI implementation vary. For me, it is therefore more a combination of various important points, starting with awareness for the correct use of today’s GenAI tools, through to legal/regulatory issues relating to data protection and data processing. Care must be taken here to be aware of the whole spectrum of possible consequences that GenAI applications can bring with them and then to weigh up the extent to which the implementation can still take place in a secure manner in the process flow. You need a 360-degree view of all the components that play a role here, so to speak, and have to adapt and weigh them up for yourself.