Engaging Transport Industry in Cybersecurity - Interview with Stathis Vlachos

As a co-founder of iLINK, a veteran player in transportation and logistics optimisation with 20 years of industry experience, Stathis Vlachos brings valuable insights to the NERO cybersecurity project.
 

Bridging Technology and Security

iLINK's expertise in route optimisation software, serving thousands of vehicles, positions them uniquely to understand the sector's cybersecurity needs. Stathis emphasises their commitment to security:

"We are going to use the tools that will be the outcome of NERO to harden the cybersecurity of our software. This is very important as we deal with very sensitive data, business data, personal data of companies and public organisations of any size."

Leading Dissemination Efforts

As leaders of Task 7.2, iLINK plays a crucial role in stakeholder engagement. Stathis outlines their comprehensive approach:

"We're going to cluster with European Digital Innovation hubs, leading institutions, academic institutions and research organisations, to spread the word of NERO to engage relevant stakeholders, not only in academia and research, but also in businesses, especially SMEs."

Strategic Partnerships and Networks

The company leverages multiple channels to maximise impact:

• European Digital Innovation Hubs in Greece and internationally
• Academic institution partnerships
• Network of approximately 1,000 client organisations

Stathis highlights their practical approach: "We'll use our network of academic institutions to co-host events, like the webinar we're hosting the next month in our premises."

Addressing Industry Challenges

Stathis identifies a critical gap in the sector's cybersecurity readiness:

"The transportation and logistics sector is a bit lagging behind other sectors in terms of cybersecurity. Many companies work in a more, let's say, traditional way. They are dealing with vast amounts of personal and business data."

Moving Beyond Research

The project emphasises practical implementation. As Stathis states:

"It's very important that the tools do not remain in academia and research, but they are actually used in practical applications by real companies to solve real problems."

Immediate Action Plans

iLINK is already putting their strategy into action, with a concrete timeline for engagement:

"We are going to start next month, June 2024. We are co-hosting a clustering workshop in our premises together with Atlantic Logistics Association. We are training them on our optimisation solutions and we have a special slot dedicated for NERO and cyber security awareness."

Through these initiatives, iLINK aims to transform how the transportation and logistics sector approaches cybersecurity, ensuring that NERO's tools reach and benefit the companies that need them most.

Watch the Full Video Interview

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