Chapter Presents Security of Communication Networks Conference

The chapter held the Security of Communication Networks conference, which aimed to analyze new security initiatives, in June at the Italian army communications and information school in Rome. Brig. Gen. A. De Sio, the school’s commander, welcomed attendees, introducing the school and its activities. In his welcome address, Lt. Gen. Antonio Tangorra, ITAF (Ret.), chapter president, highlighted that it is the 70th anniversary of both the school and AFCEA International. Brig. Gen. C. Massara, ITAF, commander, C4 Command, opened the workshop with the speech “Defence C4 Cyber Organization.” Lt. Col. S. Mingone, ITA, discussed the Italian army response to cyberthreats. A live connection with NATO headquarters in Brussels allowed Brig. Gen. E. Bologna, NATO C3 board national co-vice chairman, to present NATO’s approach to network security. Lt. Col. S. Diofebi, Carabinieri Corps, introduced the network infrastructure of the Corps: its diffusion, efficiency and security. Radio connections, optical fibers, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) and satellites make up a network that operates under central coordination, providing services across the country. L. Lupoli of Leonardo-Finmeccanica illustrated strategies to improve cyber defense capabilities in Italy to face the increasing risk of cyber attacks. Fastweb’s M. Zanoni provided an overview of tools that can prevent events inside a network, focusing on the development of virtual networks. A. Livi of Hewlett-Packard presented how Hewlett Packard Enterprise manages information technology and security events, combining them into a global view, to prevent the most harmful events. Palo Alto Networks’ D. Stranieri, in “Training for the New Battleground,” discussed the company’s main activities. Michele Apa of VMware presented “Networking and Security in the Digital Transformation Era: VMware NSX.” Virtual data centers drove VMware to adopt a device-independent approach based on network virtualization. Giacinta Santo of SELTA presented “Evolution and Applications of National Certifications to C2 Cyber,” introducing the internationally recognized network security evaluation criteria. Raoul Chiesa of the Institute for Security and Open Methodologies (ISECOM) introduced the international security methodologies that provide accurate security tests in many domains. The conference concluded with a live demonstration of C4 assets deployed in the 2016 Marconi trial.

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