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Strengthening the Cybersecurity of SMEs in Wallonia: Strategic Alliance between GCA and Cyberwal

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In an effort to improve the cybersecurity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Wallonia, the Global Cyber ​​Alliance (GCA) and Cyberwal, an initiative of Digital Wallonia, have joined forces. This strategic collaboration seeks to deploy the GCA Cybersecurity Toolbox in the French-speaking region of Belgium, helping local businesses protect themselves against growing digital threats.


Cybersecurity challenges in Wallonia


The NIS2 Directive builds on the 2016 NIS Directive, the first EU cybersecurity legislation. It aims to strengthen the resilience of essential services and critical infrastructure by implementing more rigorous cybersecurity measures, stricter notification obligations and enhanced incident response frameworks.


The implementation of NIS2 affects critical sectors such as energy, healthcare, transport and digital infrastructure. However, one particularly significant aspect is that NIS2 also highlights the vital importance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the supply chains of these essential services. As SMEs are increasingly exposed to cyberattacks, ensuring their cybersecurity resilience has become a national priority.


Belgian SMEs, like many others, face significant challenges due to limited budgets, a lack of in-house cybersecurity expertise and often conflicting business priorities. In this context, initiatives such as Digital Wallonia’s Cyberwal, which uses the GCA cybersecurity toolkit for small businesses, can help overcome these obstacles and strengthen the cybersecurity of these companies.


Cyberwall Main Objectives

Cyberwal se centra específicamente en aumentar la concienciación sobre ciberseguridad.
Cyberwal is an initiative of the Agence du Numérique within the framework of the Digital Wallonia strategy, which aims to improve Wallonia's digital ecosystem by enhancing connectivity, digital literacy and cybersecurity.

The GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit


This kit is designed to mitigate common cybersecurity risks and offers practical, easy-to-implement resources. Some of its key components include:

GCA desarrolló el Kit de herramientas de ciberseguridad para pequeñas empresas con el fin de brindar a las micro y pequeñas empresas acceso a herramientas esenciales de ciberseguridad.
The toolkit is specifically designed to mitigate common cybersecurity risks and offers a variety of practical, free and easy-to-implement resources.

Impact and Recent Activities


Since their partnership in January 2024, the toolkit has been viewed approximately 8,000 times, with a high engagement rate. Cyberwal has integrated the toolkit into its training programmes, webinars and online resources for SMEs. Some notable activities include the InCyber ​​Forum in Lille, a webinar for SMEs in the healthcare sector, and Cyber ​​Week in Wavre.


By investing in cybersecurity through tailored programmes for SMEs, Wallonia is setting an example of how regional strategies can support national objectives, strengthening not only individual companies but also the digital ecosystem at large.


Source of information: Here


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