Public Sector Cyber Security Republic of Ireland 2026

Ireland’s National Cyber Security Strategy 2030 sets out a clear ambition: to strengthen national cyber defence, improve resilience across essential services, and grow the cyber capability needed to protect society, the economy and public trust. At the same time, the rapid adoption of AI across the public sector is creating new opportunities to improve services, alongside new challenges around security, governance, transparency and risk.

This opening plenary will explore what that ambition means in practice. Panellists will discuss how government, local authorities, health, shared services and digital leaders can translate the Strategy into delivery, from improving visibility and readiness to managing AI and supply-chain risk, strengthening governance, and building the skills, leadership and public trust needed to deliver secure, resilient and responsible digital public services.

Reactive responses alone are not sufficient to protect society and the economy from the potential cascading effects of cyber-attacks on critical systems and services.

As cyber risks continue evolving rapidly, critical infrastructure, government systems, society as a whole faces growing exposure to disruptive attacks that could impact the lives of millions.

Speakers will discuss how Ireland’s public services can adopt a proactive cyber defence posture, where reaction is replaced by robust, reliable cybersecurity systems.

When a country takes on the EU Presidency, it also takes on greater visibility and greater cyber risk. This session looks back at Ireland’s experience, exploring how the threat landscape changed, the cyber challenges that emerged, and the lessons learned for government and public sector organisations.

Drawing on first-hand experience, speakers will discuss what it takes to protect critical services during periods of heightened international attention, from cross-government coordination to effective incident response. Attendees will leave with practical insights on strengthening resilience when the spotlight is firmly on public services.