The Commander of the Joint Cyber Command identifies cybersecurity as the key to the survival of SMEs

• Vice-Admiral Javier Roca took part in the 1st Cybersecurity and SME Conference

The Commander of the Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE), Vice-Admiral Javier Roca, delivered a presentation entitled ‘What is cybersecurity for an SME?’, as part of the 1st Cybersecurity and SME Conference, organised by Red Seguridad and the Borredá Foundation at the Digitaliza Madrid venue. At this forum, Vice-Admiral Roca urged attendees—CEOs and managers of Spanish small and medium-sized enterprises—to move beyond a purely technical view of cybersecurity and instead understand it as a critical factor for geopolitical survival.

‘The era of the technical silo is over; today, geopolitics dictates the threats knocking at your company’s door. Attacks on the supply chain are the new battlefield, and auditing partners is defending our critical assets,’ stated the Vice-Admiral.

Furthermore, the commander of the MCCE stressed that companies must accept that ‘absolute security is a dangerous myth’, and urged them to accept that they will be attacked. ‘The question is not if it will happen, but when.’ He therefore advocated a model based on resilience and the capacity for immediate recovery.

The key message for executives was clear: cybersecurity is not a task that can be delegated solely to the IT department. ‘This is not about managing technology; it is about defending the business; it requires leadership from the Board of Directors,’ he stressed, emphasising that preparation through exercises and crisis drills is the only way to minimise damage in a real attack.

‘On the digital battlefield, the harder you work in the exercises, the less you will suffer in the real fight,’ concluded the Vice-Admiral, noting that ingenuity and skill in response are the best allies against the uncertainty of cyberspace.

The 1st Cybersecurity and SME Conference aims to raise awareness of the need to protect the Spanish business sector, which is mainly made up of small and medium-sized companies that act as critical suppliers in strategic sectors.