On 28 May 2026, iSOCaaS consortium partner NETSQUARE LTD organised the Cyber Security Roundtable: AI, Risk & Real-World Defense Strategies at Hotel SAY in Athens, Greece. The event brought together about 40 managers and business professionals from a range of organisations. All of them face the same question: how to stay resilient as cyber threats become faster, more automated and increasingly powered by AI.
From AI hype to real-world defense
The roundtable focused on the business side of cybersecurity rather than the purely technical side. Participants discussed several questions:
- How AI is changing the threat landscape, from more convincing phishing to automated attacks.
- How organisations can assess and prioritise cyber risk with limited resources.
- Which defense strategies actually work in practice, and where AI can strengthen detection and response instead of adding complexity.
The interactive format let attendees share their own experiences and concerns. It showed that cybersecurity is now a strategic issue for business, not only an IT matter.
Bringing iSOCaaS closer to its end users
The event also gave NETSQUARE the opportunity to present the iSOCaaS project to a business audience. iSOCaaS is designing intelligent, managed Security Operation Centre (SOC) services for European cyber resilience. These services combine shared situational awareness, coordinated incident response and joint preparedness with AI-assisted orchestration, automation and response capabilities.
For organisations that cannot build or staff a full SOC on their own, the “SOC as a Service” model is a practical answer. Many of the challenges raised during the roundtable are exactly the ones iSOCaaS sets out to address: lack of in-house expertise, alert overload, and the need for faster, coordinated response. To support awareness beyond the session, 40 project flyers were distributed to attendees.
Looking ahead
Events like this help the iSOCaaS consortium connect its research and development with the real needs of businesses and decision-makers. The feedback gathered will feed into the project’s ongoing work. We thank everyone who attended and contributed to an engaging discussion.
Stay up to date with iSOCaaS news on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube.
This project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement No. 101190388. The content reflects only the author’s view, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.