Trust Valley 2023: cybersecurity and data sovereignty, a lasting Swiss tradition?

The Trust Valley Day at EPFL’s Rolex Learning Center brought together stakeholders from politics, academia, cybersecurity and the private sector, especially SMEs, to discuss the concrete challenges facing our country’s economy.

Neur.on serves Swiss law firms, banks and public administrations. It addresses one of their weakest links in data security (yes, legal translation projects are a significant but often overlooked risk!). Lennig Pedron therefore kindly invited us to share our experience as a LegalTech start-up that puts digital security at the heart of its business.

What pressure does digital security put on SMEs?

Here are some key takeaways from the panel on the pressure faced by SMEs and start-ups:

• High-level digital security demands substantial investment: infrastructure, processes, documentation and, above all, a matching corporate culture, shared at all levels and in all departments. The total often runs to a six-figure sum each year.
• Law firms and other SMEs outside the ICT sector often lack the resources and expertise needed to properly assess their suppliers’ security levels. That leaves them no option but to ‘trust’ or ‘hope for the best’.
• Specialised ICT providers such as Neur.on can take responsibility for specific process steps, but overall knowledge and awareness remain with the SME.
• Programmes and associations such as Trust4SMEs, the Swiss AI Center for SMEs of HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland and the Swiss LegalTech Association are there to help, with guides, white papers and training.

What are Swiss SMEs asking of the public sector?

However, the main message from our clients and from LegalTech stakeholders is addressed to the Swiss public sector and to innovation programmes:

Swiss SMEs and start-ups are eager to explore the potential of generative AI for their sector. To do so, they must be able to use their own data with LLMs without worrying about data leaks or uncontrolled data flows. They urgently request a 100% Swiss infrastructure, not subject to the US CLOUD Act or Patriot Act, to test different technologies securely.

Who is willing to help raise the CHF 2.5 million needed for a Swiss SME sandbox?

Is Switzerland ready to play a role in the digitalisation race?

Join Neur.on in its commitment to the security and success of Swiss businesses on this journey.