CLUSIL is an ASBL composed of professionals in the field of cyber-/information security. After eight years as President of the association, Jean Goetzinger shall step down from his role in January 2019. We spoke with him to learn more about current cybersecurity issues, as well as CLUSIL’s past achievements and future endeavors.
(Featured Image: Jean Goetzinger, President of CLUSIL / Image Credit © Anna Katina / Silicon Luxembourg)
How would you describe CLUSIL’s role?
CLUSIL is a one-of-a-kind platform and the oldest association in Luxembourg concerned with cyber-/information security. A group of visionaries founded the organization in 1996 to spread knowledge on all aspects of information security.
CLUSIL has always acted independently and impartially to promote awareness and collaboration, reinforcing the importance of the CISO role and creating trust in the digital economy.
The association’s success stems from the fact that it is made by experts for experts.
Today, some 200 members, all of them experts in their respective fields, have joined CLUSIL.
What are CLUSIL’s achievements from the past years?
So much has been achieved!
I took over in 2010 and my first step was to switch the organization’s operating language from French to English in order to get the whole information security community on board.
Today, I am very proud that CLUSIL is stronger and better known than ever before. For many newcomers in Luxembourg we are often their first contact in the field of cyber-/information security.
I am also particularly proud of having established good relationships with other European peer entities, such as in France, Switzerland, Italy and some North African countries. In 2005, for instance, these European clubs met for the first time and decided to enter into a stronger relationship in order to better collaborate on cybersecurity. In the fight against highly sophisticated cyberattacks, this collaboration is key to countering and reacting properly.
CLUSIL also played an important role in creating a master’s program dedicated to information security in Luxembourg, where some of our members still teach. The Collège des Professionnels de la Sécurité et de l’Information (CPSI) is also a CLUSIL initiative.
That being said, I still have one regret. For cyber-/information security matters of national interest, CLUSIL as an entity is still not solicited. The National Cybersecurity Strategy III is a good example. After all, CLUSIL represents nearly 80% of the CISO community. I hope this will change in the future.
“We need to better act on the human side. Cybersecurity technology cannot be developed without assessing the human factor.”
What’s next for CLUSIL?
Security does not stop at the border, so we can’t either! We all benefit from international collaboration. We need to increase our exchanges with foreign associations to know more about breaches, threats and solutions.
Our current relationships with European countries are well established, and we now need to establish contact with Asia and North America. I was recently in Singapore and Canada and realized that we have a lot in common and a lot to learn from each other.
As an expert in this sector for so many years, what are your insights on the future of cybersecurity?
We need to better act on the human side. Cybersecurity technology cannot be developed without assessing the human factor.
If we manage to educate people, with the right knowledge and reflexes (cyber hygiene) then we are on the right path to a more secure future.
Personally, I will invest myself in the training of young people so they can benefit from my experience. I recently had a chance to hold a risk management course for students attending a CLOUD BTS!
I also invest a lot of my time and energy into risk management and the translation of those risks into human understandable language. With the host of emerging technologies – cloud, AI, blockchain, IoT, etc. – people are becoming more and more afraid. The adoption of these technologies by the public can only be achieved if people trust these technologies. From that perspective, security plays a vital role and that’s where I see CLUSIL’s added value in the future.
Finally, I would like to announce that CLUSIL is currently conducting a survey among security experts in Luxembourg. The results of the survey should give us, once completed a better picture of the maturity level of Luxembourg’s cyber-/information security.
