Conference Description
Key Takeaways
- Executive-level cybersecurity summit examining the evolving CISO role in AI-driven environments
- Four interactive workshops addressing security scaling, AI integration, compliance and automation
- Hosted by Deutsche Telekom in Bonn, Germany on 12–13 November 2026
- Designed for CISOs, security directors and senior technology executives from large enterprises
- Focus areas include cyber resilience strategy, regulatory navigation and human-automation balance
Introduction
SEKOPreconnect2026 is a two-day executive summit bringing together Chief Information Security Officers and senior security leaders to address the strategic challenges facing cybersecurity organisations as artificial intelligence reshapes both threat landscapes and defensive capabilities. Hosted at Deutsche Telekom’s facilities in Bonn, Germany, the event targets decision-makers responsible for security governance, compliance and technology adoption within large enterprises and public sector organisations. The programme centres on a question that has become increasingly urgent: how security leaders can adapt their roles, teams and operational models to remain effective amid rapid technological change and mounting regulatory complexity.
The Changing Role of the CISO
The traditional CISO function has expanded considerably beyond its technical origins. Security leaders now operate as strategic business partners, responsible not only for protecting digital assets but for enabling organisational agility and supporting commercial objectives. SEKOPreconnect2026 addresses this evolution directly, examining how CISOs can position security as a business enabler rather than a cost centre. This shift requires new competencies in stakeholder management, cross-functional collaboration and executive communication—skills that complement rather than replace deep technical expertise.
The summit’s workshop format reflects the collaborative nature of modern security leadership. Rather than passive presentations, participants engage in structured problem-solving sessions designed to produce actionable strategies they can implement within their own organisations.
AI Integration in Security Operations
Artificial intelligence has introduced both opportunities and complications for security teams. On one hand, AI-powered tools can accelerate vulnerability detection, automate routine analysis and help organisations respond to threats at machine speed. On the other, the same technologies create new attack surfaces and raise difficult questions about accountability, transparency and the appropriate level of human oversight in automated decision-making.
SEKOPreconnect2026 dedicates significant attention to practical AI integration, particularly within DevSecOps workflows and vulnerability management programmes. The event explores how security organisations can leverage AI capabilities without creating dangerous dependencies or undermining the human judgement that remains essential for complex incident response. Finding this balance has become one of the defining challenges for security leaders as AI tools mature and proliferate across enterprise environments.
Regulatory Complexity and Global Compliance
Multinational organisations face an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape. Data protection requirements, critical infrastructure directives and sector-specific security mandates vary significantly across jurisdictions, creating compliance burdens that can strain even well-resourced security teams. The challenge extends beyond technical implementation to encompass communication—security leaders must translate complex regulatory requirements into terms that business stakeholders can understand and act upon.
The summit addresses these challenges through sessions focused on managing compliance across multiple regulatory frameworks simultaneously. Participants examine strategies for building adaptable governance structures that can accommodate evolving requirements without requiring complete operational overhauls each time new regulations emerge.
Building Resilient Security Organisations
Resource constraints remain a persistent reality for security teams. The cybersecurity talent shortage shows little sign of abating, forcing organisations to accomplish more with limited personnel. SEKOPreconnect2026 explores scaling strategies that address this challenge, including organisational design approaches, technology investments and ecosystem partnerships that extend security capabilities beyond internal teams.
The event features perspectives from organisations including Bosch Home Comfort Group, Rolls-Royce Power Systems and Die Techniker, alongside technology providers such as OpenAI, Trend Micro and Fortinet. This mix of enterprise practitioners and solution providers creates opportunities for examining how different organisations approach common challenges.
Who Should Attend
SEKOPreconnect2026 is designed for senior security executives with strategic responsibility for their organisations’ cybersecurity posture. The programme assumes familiarity with enterprise security operations and focuses on leadership-level concerns rather than technical implementation details. CISOs, security directors, vice presidents and heads of security from large enterprises and public sector organisations represent the primary audience, though the event also accommodates solution providers through dedicated partnership arrangements.