Cybersecurity in Catalonia: facts and figures

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and programmes from digital threats and attacks. With the ever-increasing amount of digital devices in all sectors of life and business, this field is becoming more and more important and is also, what’s more, a legal requirement with data protection laws in place to ensure that companies manage data securely and effectively.

With Catalonia fully embracing digital transformation, the need for a cybersecurity sector is obvious. According to the study Cybersecurity in Catalonia by Catalonia Trade & Investment, to date there are 356 companies working in this field, employing a workforce of some 6,100 people and generating a combined turnover of €809M. The majority are SMEs and one in three are exporting companies.

But the push for Cybersecurity is not just from the business world. It is being addressed on all levels within Catalonia, with multiple agents involved in its application and development. These range from research and technological centres such as Eurecat, to a wide spectrum of universities with associated educational programmes.

We can also find business associations and trade fairs such as the Mobile World Congress involved in the sector, as well as the CESICAT-CERT agency, which is the official cybersecurity incident response centre, not to mention other public and institutional players such as Catalonia Trade & Investment.

Sectors of application are also wide-ranging. Industry in general manages a large amount of sensitive information in need of protection, but Industry 4.0, with a far higher level of connectivity, also pushes the demand for new solutions. Other areas such as new mobility trends, the finance sector, ecommerce, governance, education, smart cities and the health industry are also all creating specific needs for cybersecurity related innovation.