Ambassador ASSOCHAM speech on August 26, 2015
Before I begin I would like to commend ASSOCHAM for inviting us to the important summit and for the interesting and comprehensive material. I would like to specifically highlight the special publication on India Israel Free Trade Agreement its promises and potential.
I am honored to have this opportunity to address you today and appreciate the invitation to be part of the Inaugural Session of the 7th Annual Summit on Cyber & Network Security, entitled “Securing the digital India”
Cyber-security! Two words that have become a constant in our lives, an idiomatic phrase that represents a rapidly-evolving discipline - or perhaps a lack of discipline; it has become a buzzword not just among IT circles, but also for the general public.
It's the fastest growing, fastest-changing domain in the international economy and international security in our world.
No wonder then, that in Israel – also known as “start up nation” - hundreds of cyber security startups have sprung up in recent years to address the need – locally and globally - to battle some of the world’s most serious threats. The number of Israeli cyber security companies has doubled in the last five years. Nearly 300 cyber security companies are operating in Israel in a field that is growing at 8 percent a year. Demand for their products is rising dramatically as more business, firms, governments and institutions realize there is a need for cyber protection.
In fact, Israel now accounts for 10 percent of global network security technology sales and is only second to the United States as the largest exporter of cyber products. And this is just the beginning….
The world of Cyber Security – the concept itself and of course the market – demands a vigilant approach and above all the ability to constantly innovate.
It is thus not surprising that Israeli entrepreneurs embraced this challenge. The pillars of Israel’s ecosystem, of innovation and start-ups, are the combination between necessity and the culture of daring – what we call the “Israeli Way”.
I don’t think I need to elaborate on the “necessity” component. It is enough to say that like many others, Israel is facing the challenge of cyber-attacks, in fact up to 1 lack attacks every day: against its critical infrastructure such as power, water, transportation, government, military and industry.
In the era of cyber wars, it is no longer enough for a country to defend itself against conventional threats, but it has to apply its defense mechanism to the cyber world as well the virtual threats that are becoming very real.
I would like to say a few words about the other ingredient in Israel’s recipe for success: the “Israeli Way”. (My colleague and friend, the Ambassador of the Unite States), is representing a country known for many years as the land of opportunities, well – I represent a country that offers many opportunities too, but above all can be nicknamed the Land of Dreamers! For it takes dreamers to bring an ancient nation back to its historic homeland; For it takes dreamers to believe that an arid land can become a superpower in agriculture; It takes dreamers to dare to dream and to live the dream. And this, in a nutshell, is the essence of Israel’s start-up ecosystem. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to dream, to try, to fail and to try again. The society, the state, the private sector are offering safety nets: “mentally” (it’s better to have tried and failed than to not try at all…) but also financially (sharing the risks).
This brings me to another component of this ecosystem: state involvement and stewardship. In the world of Cyber it means, amongst other things, the establishment of two major agencies: National Cybersecurity Authority, to build market resilience and to define our approach to the question of defense, and the IDF cyber forces. In Israel cyber security is definitely part of national security, but also part of the business ecosystem.
The idea therefore is not only to establish and promote an Israeli cyber-security industry, rather - it is also to build human capital and use it as a tool for international and strategic cooperation with friends and allies. And when talking about cooperation with friends and allies, I can point out to the huge potential for Israeli-Indian cooperation in these areas!
Digital India is one major platform for such a cooperation. The objective of DIGITAL INDIA, is to come out with innovative ideas and practical solutions to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a digitally connected nation. Not only does it envision transforming India, and creating opportunities for all citizens by harnessing digital technologies, rather it is to empower every citizen with access to digital services, knowledge and information.
As Ambassador of Israel to India, I believe that our countries can join hands together and share best practices to make Prime Minister Modi’s vision of a ‘Digital India’ a successful reality.
‘Digital India’ can help us to enhance our bilateral relationship by providing a platform for:
1) Strategic cooperation
2) Investment
Let me elaborate on each of these areas
In terms of strategic cooperation, I believe that the ‘Digital India’ program could help India and Israel to formulate an inter-governmental mechanism through:
Facilitating information exchange on issues and concerns in the field of cyber-security; and in the field of threat mitigation through enabling resolution of those issues in near real time.
With regards to investments, our task is to promote perpetual investments and turn them into not only a vehicle for cooperation but also a vehicle for business. There is great potential for India and Israel, to establish together, a global presence in the field of cyber security through bilateral initiatives that encourage investments in each other’s countries. Prime Minister Modi’s idea of ‘Stand up India, Start-Up India’ could be a great platform for such cooperation. There is no coincidence in the fact that cyber security should be and is on of the common agenda of both our countries.
Moreover, we also need to encourage our young people to enter into these fields. It's not enough that they encourage themselves. This will involve cyber education and capacity building.
We also need to encourage our private sectors to further enhance this ongoing investment. We've had hundreds of millions of dollars of investment in the last year alone in Israeli start-ups, and more is coming. And our job is to make sure that this machine continues to move and at a rapid pace, and we're committed to it, and everything that we do. We view this as the future, we view this not just as an auxiliary part of our economic effort. We view it as a major thrust of our economic effort, a growth engine for the next fifty years.
To conclude, the field of cyber security is going to assume enormous significance in the upcoming years. Through fraught with complexities, it also has great potential to strengthen bilateral ties. Not only will it serve as a vehicle for business between our two nations, but it will also help in enhancing strategic cooperation. I am grateful to ASSOCHAM for providing me with this platform to address key issues in the field and highlight how these could add more warmth in our bilateral relations.
Only last week did Israel’s PM, B. Netanyahu, a fervent believer in Israel’s Cyber Security industry address an issue relevant to INDIA-ISRAEL and today’s discussion and I quote: As far as the ‘start up-nation’ (goes), I think this has a lot to do with entrepreneurial spirit. I have noticed that in Silicon Valley….You hear Indian dialects and you hear Hebrew….There is a lot of spirit for enterprise in both our countries.”
I hope PM Modi will be able to witness this too, even if at a glimpse, when he visits SF & Silicon Valley next month, I also hope he will be able to witness this yet another facet of India Israel partnership potential on a larger scope, when his visits Israel, the start-up nation, at a later date.