Dedagroup and Fondazione Bruno Kessler: a new Co-Innovation Lab dedicated to cybersecurity

Trento, April 4, 2024 – The historic partnership between Dedagroup, the aggregating hub of leading Italian firms in the Software and Solutions as a Service market, and a natural reference of businesses, financial and public service institutions in the development of their IT and digital strategies, and the Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), an international research center based in Trento that works in the fields of science, technology and human sciences, has been further strengthened. In fact, the collaboration launched in 2016, the year the first Co-Innovation Lab dedicated to AI & Data Engineering was established, doubled with the creation of a second joint lab for continuous technology transfer, focused on cybersecurity for next-generation software — a topic that is increasingly critical today for public and private companies of all sizes. 

The newly established Cleanse Co-Innovation Lab – CLoud Native ApplicatioN Security is a joint investment for the sharing of its promoters' strong competencies, with the aim of enabling the market to integrate new methodologies and new tools for the development of secure-by-design cloud-native software, so as to anticipate and respond to the increasingly high standards required in the field of cybersecurity — linked for example to the new NIS2 regulation — and to the complexity of the challenges posed by new technology and application scenarios. 

With this in mind, FBK will provide Cleanse with the resources and methodologies of its Center for Cybersecurity committed to two main lines of research: digital identity and security of distributed services. Dedagroup will bring the field experience of an operator committed to accompanying more than 4,000 clients in digitization, many of them active in “critical” sectors from the point of view of the sensitivity of the data processed, such as public services and financial institutions.  

FBK President Ferruccio Resta highlighted: “The new Cleanse lab represents a significant step in the evolution of our partnership with Dedagroup, emphasizing the security of cloud-native software and developing techniques for the integration of Artificial Intelligence algorithms that ensure both application security and reliability. Through the new Co-Innovation Lab, we aim to anticipate emerging cybersecurity challenges by promoting both the innovative approach of security by design, with the integration of security measures from the earliest stages of software development, and by providing cutting-edge tools to address current and future threats. Our well-established collaboration with Dedagroup allows us to combine advanced research and practical applications, thus helping to build a more secure and reliable digital ecosystem.” 

One of the first areas of application of Cleanse’s work will be the strengthening of the Digital Hub, the Data & AI Engineering platform developed by the first Co-Innovation Lab, which enables simplifying and speeding up the management of the data lifecycle from its generation, transformation and enhancement – including through Artificial Intelligence technologies – to its visualization and exposure. This will enable Dedagroup to evolve software architectures into cloud-native infrastructures even faster, offering the market new models and methodologies for developing secure-by-design solutions.  

Marco Podini, Dedagroup’s Executive Chairman, added: “As a leading Group engaged in software and application development, we have always seen research as an essential asset to continue to guarantee our customers the highest product standards. Today, this allows us to respond effectively to the increased complexity associated with the latest advances in the development domain: from the implementation of cloud-native solutions to the integration and adoption of advanced technologies such as AI. This is why we believe it is crucial to work together with an institution like FBK, including in cybersecurity, one of the strategic areas which all industries are seeking to tackle and will have to best organize for.” 

It is precisely this trend of exponential risk growth that emerges from the Clusit Report 2024, confirming the need for new security solutions and skills. In 2023, serious cyber attacks grew worldwide by 12% compared to 2022, and by as much as 65% in Italy, confirming that the measures taken are still insufficient. Compared to 2022, attacks increased especially in the Healthcare (+2%) and Financial/Insurance (+3%) sectors. The Education, Manufacturing, Transportation/Storage, and Wholesale/Retail sectors also confirmed this uptrend. 

If solutions stem from software development, skills stem from training. That is why the Cleanse Co-Innovation Lab has committed to addressing the growing cybersecurity skill gap with the activation of two three-year industrial PhD program positions that combine activities to be conducted both within FBK and Dedagroup.