GLOBSEC: How to overcome the digital trust crisis

In today’s AI era, the trust between nations that underpins supply chains and digital economies is at risk. As uncertainty continues to dominate the geopolitical landscape, and threat actors move faster than institutions can adapt, one reality is becoming harder to ignore: the digital trust crisis is also a cybersecurity challenge. 

In order to shape the discussion around these systemic transformations, we’re continuing our partnership with GLOBSEC in Prague at the GLOBSEC FORUM from the 21st to 23rd of May 2026. Over the years, this forum has established itself as a critical place for a candid, high-level dialogue among political leaders, business decision-makers, and policy experts. This year’s theme “The Global Systemic Transformation: 21st-Century Solutions to 21st-Century Challenges” matches the moment: a period defined by strategic uncertainty, contested technology relationships, and a rapidly changing cybersecurity risk environment.

I’m looking forward to participating in a panel discussion on “The Transatlantic Alliance at the Crossroads: Can the West Survive Itself?” on Thursday 22nd, 12:05 am CET. The premise is clear: the “old (security) playbook” is obsolete in today's world. This raises necessary questions that leaders can no longer ignore, including where genuine common ground still exists on defence, AI, and security and what does pragmatic partnership look like when trust is strained? Is the desire for greater digital autonomy a signal of a rapture in the relationship, or can U.S. and European interests converge for renegotiated relationships?

Security as the foundation of digital sovereignty 

We believe digital sovereignty must be delivered on European terms as a genuine commitment backed by capabilities, transparent practices, and products designed to meet real-world cybersecurity requirements. We’ve said this consistently, and we’ll continue to say it clearly: we are a technology company that listens to European concerns and adapts to today’s reality. In times of political turmoil, the private sector has a responsibility to step up helping to sustain credible cooperation and contribute to cyber resilience where it matters most.

When we surveyed 1750 global decision makers in our recent resilience study “The Ripple Effect”, there was a concerning theme associated with digital resilience strategies: delay. The majority (73%) of respondents said digital sovereignty concerns had caused them to delay or cancel security transformation initiatives. That pause is dangerous and negatively impacts the resilience posture of organisations. It prolongs exposure to legacy risk and weakens cyber security readiness. It also leaves organisations less able to absorb disruption from ransomware, supply chain compromise, systemic outages, or sudden changes in cross-border rules at a time when the threat landscape is changing faster than ever before.

The challenge for the private sector is to build technology and operating models that respond to those concerns in practice, especially when trust is strained and the stakes are rising in a sovereignty debate. In today’s AI-driven cyber threat landscape, one principle is non-negotiable: cybersecurity is the foundation for digital sovereignty. And without security, sovereignty remains aspirational.

For policymakers and business leaders, sovereignty ultimately comes down to three practical tests:

• Control: Can your organization maintain governance over your data, identities, and access especially under pressure?
• Choice: Can your organization switch providers, architectures, operating models without being trapped?
• Continuity: Can your organization rely on the service remaining fully operational when you need it most?

These are the questions that matter when resilience is being tested. And they point to an important conclusion: companies should be judged on control, choice, and continuity and not merely on where their headquarters happens to be. Alignment, products, and sustained commitment matter more than geography.

Why Zero Trust is the modern security baseline

If today’s environment is defined by constant probing, compromised identities, and sophisticated disruption, then security can’t be built on assumption. Zero Trust provides a pragmatic foundation: verify explicitly, reduce implicit trust, and limit the blast radius when incidents occur. This is an operating model for a world where the security perimeter is gone and trust must be continuously earned.

As governments and industry navigate sovereignty requirements, resilience planning, and the implications of AI, the security baseline must match the threat reality. For us, Zero Trust is central to modern security because it aligns with how attackers operate especially under the new conditions of frontier AI and with how critical services can be protected.

Meet us at GLOBSEC in Prague

At GLOBSEC, we will be focused on dialogue and participate in closed-door roundtables designed for candid, working-level discussion with senior leaders from politics, business, and academia. In addition, we are available for 1:1 meetings on demand. Reach out if you want to learn more on our digital sovereignty approach based on the Zero Trust paradigm. Because if we agree that trust is a strategic asset, we also have to agree on the foundations that sustain it.