On November 29, Salotto returned, the annual event on technology and surroundings, promoted by MIX – Milan Internet eXchange: an opportunity for informal discussion and reflection on issues related to the Internet, targeted at company directors, technical managers, technology experts and enthusiasts, as well as industry journalists.
The 15th edition of the most eagerly awaited B2B event for TLC operators in Italy was held in a phygital: participants had the opportunity to attend in presence, albeit in slightly reduced numbers compared to past years, or by connecting remotely. In fact, the changing habits of life as a result of the pandemic has brought us to what has already been defined as a “new normal,” where the process of hybridization between the physical and material worlds has undergone a significant acceleration.
As was the case in the 2020 edition, the Salon was therefore live streamed and the day’s agenda was in effect developed as an interactive schedule, usable through the MIX Salotto app, to foster engagement and networking opportunities among participants, both in-person and remotely.
The app acted as a single interface through which delegates could access all live content, review the videos of the recorded sessions, interact with each other, with the speakers, sponsors and with the various protagonists of the event.
MANIFESTO
On the theory of quantum mechanics, Albert Einstein joked that “God does not play dice with the universe”.
But the Ancient Greeks would have contested what Einstein said; in fact, they believed that it was possible to predict the will of the gods with a simple roll of the dice.
This partly has to do with the evolution of the human brain that requires the development of cognitive skills necessary to predict the future and explains the need for modern man to collaborate more and more with machines in order to increase these skills.
Today, we know how much technologies have influenced our way of life and how new forms of communication and new technologies have influenced the simplification of complex activities and the ability to process information.
By betting on the future and using the game of dice, we choose the faces of the dice by assigning content to each rather than a number. For example, I would choose: Pervasive sensors and the Internet of Things, Mobile Edge Computing, 5G and its evolutions, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Extended Reality, Immersive Multimedia Support, and Data Computing.
Advances in processing and new energy sources will allow the distribution of ever smaller devices and sensors that will provide information about our homes and cities, about our bodies and the way we live.
Low-latency, high-bandwidth wireless networks will bring processing power closer to the edge, improving timing and introducing artificial intelligence to countless connected devices.
5G technology will provide extremely fast wireless connectivity, virtually eliminating network delays and enabling cities to be more connected than ever.
AI is making it possible to use learning for previously unimaginable applications (self-driving cars for example).
New display technologies, such as flexible screens, and evolutions in holograms will combine interfaces to enable unprecedented multimedia experiences, capable of stimulating all of our senses.
The future of data computing is in the cloud. Cloud technology is based on the practicality of current electronic data processing methods, increasing their speed and effectiveness. If the data is faster and of better quality, organisations will have more information to use in order to extract valuable business intelligence.
However, the die requires security and infrastructure. Every time this die is rolled, systems and solutions will have to be applied to increase the level of data protection and, just as an example, I quote Diceware to create passwords, passphrases and other cryptographic variables, in order to create a password that is a good compromise between the security offered and the simplicity of memorisation. The die will also need an adequate infrastructure component in order to synchronise the events that will happen in the future, so that the services offered can be provided with continuity and reliability, I am referring to data centres, the development of interconnection nodes, Internet Exchange Points and ultra-high-speed optical networks.
The level of complexity proceeding will inevitably increase and the system will in fact become more vulnerable.
The recent stroke of the giant led by Mark Zuckerberg was explained by experts, using the imagination, as the result of an action by a gang of criminals who at every intersection (or node) eliminated signs and indications allowed to guide users and getting them to their favourite social network or to use their favourite instant messaging system.
Another example is what happened between the end of July and the beginning of August at the EDC of the Lazio Region that was hit by ransomware that put the Covid-19 vaccine booking system out of use.
We are therefore witnessing the emergence of events with considerable impacts and in continuous and powerful growth that have rekindled discussions about the safety of critical infrastructures.
From a study published in the Clusit 2021 Report, it appears that in 2020 cyber attacks globally increased by 12% compared to the previous year and that successful attacks had a high or critical impact on 56% of the organisations affected.
From the research “The State of Ransomware 2021” by Sophos, it would appear that globally in 2020, 51% of companies were affected by ransomware and those who decided to pay ransom demands to criminals to prevent them from blocking corporate systems and spreading confidential information was 32%.
In Italy, figures showed 31% of companies were hit by a ransomware attack in the last 12 months and 14% of those companies paying a ransom to recover data. Finally, in a recent report by Trend Micro Research, the countries with the highest cyber risk are, in order: the United States, Japan, Italy, India and Australia. Italy, therefore, is among the most affected countries in the world and a target for criminal groups and organisations.
A solution has already arrived: the National Cybersecurity Agency will exercise the functions of the National Authority in the field of cybersecurity to protect national interests and the resilience of the essential services and functions of Italy.
In addition, the Recovery and Resilience Plan hopefully provides an unrepeatable opportunity for our country to relaunch aiming to digitise the complex machine of the Public Administration as well as invest in the country’s critical infrastructure.
MIX Salotto 2021 provides an opportunity to discuss the future together with political and government institutions and industry, enabling us to make our contribution in this important digital transformation process.
We can do no wrong, “The die is cast.”(Alea Iacta Est)
Alessandro Talotta
Executive President & Chairman
