Digital security is not optional: lessons from the automotive industry

In the 1970s, no one thought twice about driving a car without a seatbelt.  

Today, we wouldn’t even start the engine.  And yet, in the digital world, many organisations still take that risk every day.  

No airbag. No ABS. No guarantees.  In this eye-opening Trefdag Vlaanderen Digitaal session, Mark Vandenwauver, Deputy Director Cybersecurity at Sopra Steria, reveals how the evolution of car safety mirrors our ongoing struggle with cybersecurity.  

He challenges us to stop accepting what’s unsafe, and to make the basics standard before it’s too late. Because what once seemed an acceptable risk is no longer acceptable in today’s connected world.  

Just as seatbelts, airbags, and ABS became mandatory over time, digital safeguards such as multi-factor authentication, patch management, endpoint protection, and restricted admin rights must now become the new normal. 

Mark links these lessons to frameworks like NIS2 and the Cyber Fundamentals Framework from the Belgian Centre for Cybersecurity (CCB), showing how clear rules and shared responsibility can drastically reduce incidents, just as safety laws once reduced road fatalities.  

Who should watch this session? 

IT managers, policymakers, digital solution providers, CISOs, CIOs and project leaders who no longer see digital safety as optional, but as an essential foundation of modern governance. 

Key takeaways from this session: