With more than 8,000 attendees, more than 40 presentations, seven specific round tables and an exhibition area with some of the country’s main technology companies, The latest edition of the Aslan Congress has exceeded all expectations. Held in Madrid, the event has established itself as One of the main technological forums in Spaingathering strategic profiles of the public and private sector to discuss the great challenges of digital transformation.
Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity were the two great thematic axeswith a clear approach towards technological sovereignty and the role of digitalization as an economic engine.
This edition has also been marked by a greater institutional presence and for a clear intention to attract profiles with real decision -making capacity: From Administration Councils to CEOS and Political Responsible. A bet that, according to Alberto Pascual, president of the Aslan Association since this year, has been key to positioning Congress as a national and international reference.
Pascual, who is also executive director of Ingram Micro in Spain, reviews This exclusive interview for 20bits the keys to the eventthe impact of AI and cybersecurity and the technological challenges that will mark the immediate future. And it is clear: “Technology is no longer a support, it is the core of the business strategy”
This year the number of attendees with respect to previous editions has been exceeded. What do you attribute it to?We are at a time when technology is no longer a support, it is the core of the business strategy. Many business models are born directly around technology. Therefore, Congress has gone from being an event of technologists for technologists to attract those who make the great decisions: advice, CEOS and, in the public sector, to political leaders. In fact, this year we have been accompanied by figures such as the Minister of Digital Transformation and the Minister of Digitalization of the Community of Madrid.
What factors have made this jump of scale possible?Technology has acquired a leading role in the agenda of companies and institutions. To this is added a geopolitical situation that forces us to rethink technological and industrial sovereignty. Spain has important competitive advantages: clean and cheap energy, the densest communications network in Europe and a solid digital talent base. In addition, there is money right now: European funds, Next Generation, and private capital from IBEX 35 companies that have had historical benefits in the last two years.
Artificial intelligence has been very present. What conclusions do you get out of the debates?The generative AI has been an entrance door, but in Congress we wanted to go further. We have put the focus on real applications: predictive maintenance, network supervision, cybersecurity, patterns analysis, health … AI is already present in all technological vectors. We wanted to show not only its potential, but how specific sectors are already transforming.
Do you think that in Spain AI is being applied throughout its potential?There are companies that are already experiencing without fear and others that approach very cautiously due to the sensitivity of the data. Regulation is key to generating trust. In that sense, the Spanish IA (Aesia) supervision agency is doing a great job. Spain has been a pioneer in creating an organism dedicated entirely to guaranteeing the safe and ethical use of this technology.
Cybersecurity has also been another of the pillars. What aspects have been addressed more depth?We have talked about the new European regulations (NIS 2, Dora), which force organizations to strengthen their systems and to better anticipate the risks. We have also insisted on the need to train users: the weakest element is the human. And, above all, we have put the focus on cyber resilience. It is not enough to protect yourself; You have to have a plan to continue when the attack is successful.
Are Spanish companies prepared for this level of demand?There is more and more awareness and the visibility given by the reports of the INCIBE helps a lot. But not all companies can afford to have a CISO or be up to date against threats that constantly evolve. That is why the role of managed cybersecurity services is so important, which allow any company to access a high level of protection in subscription or payment for use.
It has sounded a little to the netflix of cybersecurity …Exactly. It is a good way to explain it.
What profiles have participated in this edition of Congress?We have had the usual technical profiles – all, ctos, fissions – technological managers of public administrations and, for the first time, CEOS of companies with technological DNA. In addition, for 17 years we have celebrated the Aslan Awards, which recognize digitalization projects in public administrations, many of them as a result of public-private collaboration.
And looking to the future, what do you think will mark the next edition?The energy challenges of AI, the efficiency in models training, the need for supercomputing … all that will mark the agenda. We are also exploring how to integrate companies in the field of quantum computing, which can revolutionize computing capacity. That will have direct impact on sectors such as cybersecurity.
Quantum computing could also break the current encryption systems.Exact. It will change paradigms. Just as AI has given new tools to attackers and defenders, quantum computing will do the same. That is why it is so important that the regulation accompanies and that the rule of law gives us advantage in that struggle.
And what role can public administrations play in this transformation?They have an essential role. There is financing, but public procurement processes remain a bottleneck. From Aslan we are promoting public-private dialogue to expedite these processes. Administrations must also apply these tools with strategic vision: they have tons of data and processes that can be more efficient and safe with AI and cybersecurity.
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