Video interview with two Italian managers of US companies

Microsoft Italy

The world has never been so connected as it is today. The global economy depends on people communicating in different time zones and accessing important information everywhere. This means that cybersecurity contributes to productivity and innovation, with the right solutions and processes enabling businesses and governments to leverage technology to improve the way they communicate and deliver services without increasing the risk of attack.

With these few lines on the site, Microsoft Italy clarifies why cybersecurity is important. Moving on to the technical side, a global industry giant such as the company founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen offers multiple tools to defend against malicious attacks.

During the Reaction conference held in Padua a few days ago, I met Stefano Longo, Head Sales Cybersecurity Microsoft Italy. A highly experienced professional, he joined Microsoft in 2004 as Senior Technical Account Manager and was able to climb through the ranks to become Head of Sales Cybersecurity, a role he holds from February 2021. I asked him what is Microsoft’s main innovation for enterprise security. In the video below you can listen to Longo’s answer, who is a great believer in the potential of Security Copilot, an GenAI-based solution that, by detecting and reacting faster to cyber threats, allows business professionals to increase productivity, speeding up work dynamics and giving them time to devote to more complex tasks.

Palo Alto Networks

A US multinational company founded in 2005 in Santa Clara, California, Palo Alto Networks is the brainchild of Nir Zuk, an engineer who had worked at Check Point and NetScreen Technologies before creating his company, as well as being one of the developers of stateful inspection technology. The challenge for the current Chief Technology Officer of Palo Alto Networks was to make it easier for companies to work on network security, starting with the need to give employees the ability to use applications related to new technologies in a secure manner.

Hence the conception and development of advanced firewalls and cloud packages to guarantee the security of the systems in use. Present in more than 150 countries and serving more than 70,000 organisations, Palo Alto Networks has created several network, cloud and Ai-based platforms, all of which have in common their effectiveness in preventing and reacting to attempts to breach security systems. There are many solutions available, as extensive is the list of services signed by the Californian company.

In Padua, I met Francesco Seminaroti, District Sales Manager Palo Alto Network Italy, a manager with a past in Cisco Italy and then in Samsung Electronics Italy. We spoke with him about the level of cybersecurity preparedness of Italian companies and the tools developed by Palo Alto Network to help companies overcome the threats of cyber criminals.