Cybersecurity and its impact on SMEs in the lift sector: this is the topic chosen for the seminar organized by EFESME on the occasion of Interlift 2019. The technical aspects of the phenomenon are being examined and the way in which SMEs work with new digital means.

The day saw both theoretical presentations, which explain the more technical aspects of this global phenomenon, and practical case studies, to show how SMEs are reacting to the potential, risks, opportunities and difficulties they are encountering as they discover a new, a fundamental tool for their daily work.

Both Mr Massimo Bezzi, President of EFESME, and Ms Gunilla Almgren, President of SBS – Small Business Standards, spoke at the beginning of the event, underlining, on the one hand, the work EFESME has been doing on digitalisation and cybersecurity, and, on the other, the fundamental work constantly carried on by SBS to protect and support SMEs in the standardisation processes. Both speeches served as a starting point for further discussions, always keeping in mind the fundamental link between SMEs, digital evolution, and the need to have adequate, SMEs friendly standards to steer the market.

The SBS Lift Seminar, which lasted the whole morning, was divided in two sessions, the first theoretical, the second more practical and based on two case studies. This allowed the speakers to explore the most different aspects of cybersecurity and standardisation in the lift sector. During the first session, aptly named Standardisation and monitoring in the digital era, Mr Scarrone, Chairman of ETSI TC SmartM2M, spoke about how the standard can support the integration of the so-called “smart lifts”, taking into due consideration the most recent developments of the market in the Internet of Things age. Mr Enrico Scarrone’s presentation showed to the audience how standardisation is evolving and adapting to the latest developments in the digital market, which is constantly changing and updating itself.

The following speaker was Mr Lars Odlen, a Swedish entrepreneur with a decades-long experience in the sector, who spoke about how it is possible to monitor a lift without encountering safety risks. Mr Odlen explained what these risks may be, how to avoid them, and how the market itself can develop around such an issue. In addition, he illustrated what technology is already available on the market, so that SMEs can work without incurring unnecessary risks while monitoring installations.

The second session, which explained how digitalisation and cybersecurity are affecting the lift market, saw two case studies from Italy and Spain, which were used by the speakers to go into detail on the topic, and show how cybersecurity and digital skills are becoming more and more fundamental in the everyday work of SMEs. Mr Riccardo Tribaudino, head of hardware and software development at Elettroquadri, used his speech to present to the guests a concrete and material example of how digitalisation can provide real-time information about a plant to a technician, without this data being at risk, thanks to the intelligent use of cybersecurity skills. His speech was very important to show the possibilities opened up to SMEs by digitalisation and cybersecurity.

Following the path set by Mr Tribaudino, Mr José Maria Compagni, Coordinator of FEPYMA, the Spanish member of EFESME, and owner of Docensas, explained how the Spanish market is reacting to the challenges posed by digitalisation, presenting the conclusions of two events recently organised on the Spanish territory (more information in this regards here).
Developing Digital Skills in Lift SMEs. A collaborative approach The Q&A sessions offered to the audience the opportunity to engage in a lively debate about different aspects of cybersecurity in the lift sector, taking advantage of the various speeches as a starting point to expand the discourse towards more specific aspects.