As part of our ongoing, all-encompassing effort to build trust in data processing and storage, IBM was, in early 2018,  a founding member of the Charter of Trust for a secure digital world. The Charter of Trust brings together companies from different industries, different actors from different geographies in the supply chain and will start a dialogue with governments to put in place baseline security that will protect the data of individuals and companies, prevent damage to people, companies and infrastructures and establish a reliable foundation on which confidence in a networked, digital world can take root and grow.

Signing the Charter of Trust was merely the start of a collaborative process to improve security. Since then IBM has been actively working with other partners, breaking down the different principles into concrete recommendations and requirements that can be put in place by companies and by governments to improve security. I have been active as a Board Member of the Charter of Trust and there is huge motivation across all my fellow board members to create a workable, ambitious framework for better cyber security.

We are now taking the Charter of Trust on the road! To engage new partners from business and government, the Charter of Trust roadshow, a series of events in cities across the world, kicked off in Paris on October 16. Agnieszka Bruyere, Vice-President Cloud at IBM France, spoke at the Paris event and underlined how cybersecurity and trust is the cornerstone of the development of all key technologies like AI, Cloud or blockchain. Having Charter of Trust members agree on specific measures to be applied is crucial for transparency and for building trust. A first focus is the Digital Supply Chain where results are expected shortly. Agnieszka also addressed the need to cooperate globally, not just with industry partners but also with government actors, and she called for changes in education that will be key for tomorrow’s cybersecurity.

Next month, on November 15, IBM will host a Charter of Trust event in Washington DC. In the coming months we will also host events in Brussels and Tokyo and we will play an active part in many of the other roadshow events in Germany, UK and elsewhere. We look forward to welcoming new and committed partners on board.

Digital transformation is only going to succeed if people can rely on the security of data and connected systems. We must not hold back on building trust through groundbreaking initiatives like the Charter of Trust.

-Martina Koederitz
IBM Global Industry Managing Director, Automotive, Aerospace, Defense & Industrial
Board Member, Charter of Trust

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