Cybersecurity Has a Promising Future, and Cyber Hub Wants Denmark to Get a Piece of the Pie

The cybertech sector is growing, fast. But it’s likely this is only just the beginning—as more and more companies go digital, there is a greater demand for cybersecurity than ever before.

Sponsored: This article is made in cooperation with Cyber Hub.

In recent years, words like ‘phishing’ and ‘ransomware’ have found their way into the Danish language, alongside the more widely known ‘hacker’. Meanwhile, Cyber Hub (the Danish Hub for Cybersecurity) reports that awareness of cybersecurity is growing in Denmark, as well as the number of startups in the sector.

Until now, it seems like we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg, as today’s increasingly advanced cyber-attacks call for even more advanced solutions.

“Without cybersecurity, a future of digitalisation is impossible. Cyber Hub aims to serve as a platform for knowledge-driven innovation in the cybersecurity or ‘cybertech’ sector. In practice, this means increasing the number of cybertech startups and making the existing ones even better. We also want to involve companies that don’t typically see themselves as cybertech, but who have the potential to develop great solutions. All in all, it’s about improving the commercial outlook for cybersecurity in Denmark,” explains Lars Bajlum Holmgaard Christensen, Executive Director of Cyber Hub.

Early days

Many of these new cybertech startups are tech-driven and offer products and services that are based on a strong, cybersecurity foundation. They use advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing to give their customers across all industries a competitive advantage.

The thing is, cybersecurity isn’t an industry-specific solution. It’s relevant for every company engaged in digitalisation. In other words, virtually every company needs to be thinking about cybersecurity. “It’s early days, perhaps too early to talk about a specific industry in Denmark, but there’s already a budding ecosystem. Cyber Hub’s partnership circle includes all the Danish universities, along with several relevant organisations and R&D institutions. We’re building a community where people across the industry can talk to each other and work together on the challenges we face,“ says Holmgaard Christensen.

A one-stop shop

Cybersecurity can be a sensitive topic for established companies. It can sometimes seem that just by putting the topic on the agenda, a whole bunch of complex security problems materialise out of the blue.

However, with Cyber Hub as a central anchor for the industry, the matter of cybersecurity is becoming an easier one to tackle. Companies, investors and researchers turn to the hub to learn about the cybertech scene in Denmark and often participate in developing solutions together. This kind of community is vital, if Denmark is to make a name for itself internationally.

“Cyber Hub is a one-stop shop for those who want to learn more about cybersecurity and cybertech in Denmark. Our hub status also allows us to connect different players in the industry and this is where it really starts to take off—instead of having to invent everything from scratch, we can share knowledge and ideas, so that everyone in the industry benefits and grows together,” says Holmgaard Christensen.

Here’s what Cyber Hub does for startups:

Cyber Hub supports startups in a variety of ways:

• Pilot Projects: Looking for and identifying security problems in existing companies and connecting them to partners who may be able to solve those problems. • Solutions Labs: Connecting larger companies with startups and researchers who collaborate together to solve the company’s security issues.

• Cyberboost: Support for projects conducted by R&D institutions and companies, including financial support for the development of new solutions and technologies.

• Acceleration Programmes: Cyber Hub supports existing programmes, including those at universities, that have a cybertech component with the potential to contribute value to startups in other industries.