The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH is Austria’s largest non-university research institute with a European format and focuses on the key infrastructure issues of the future. With its eight Centers, AIT is a highly specialised research and development partner for industry. Its researchers focus on the key infrastructure issues of the future: “Energy”, “Health & Bioresources”, “Digital Safety & Security”, “Vision, Automation & Control”, “Mobility Systems”, “Low-Emission Transport”, “Technology Experience” and “Innovation Systems & Policy”. Throughout the whole of Austria around 1,300 employees carry out research on the development of tools, technologies and solutions that will keep Austria’s economy fit for the future. Within AIT the Center for Digital Safety & Security (DSS) will participate in CyNET. AIT DSS is developing modern information and communication technologies (ICT) and systems in order to establish secure, safe and reliable systems.
AIT DSS focuses on two important aspects (Safety and Security) of ever-increasing relevance for today’s citizens, which will also take centre stage in the information society of tomorrow:
- “Safety” is in our case related to technologies and refers to the personal safety of individuals, which is directly or indirectly dependent on the proper functioning or availability of an information processing and/or autonomous system.
- “Security” rather refers to the protection of information and the prevention of any potential violation through unauthorized access to or alteration of personal information. Security may also refer to classical security techniques (surveillance) that are supported by IT.
AIT has a long history and outstanding track record on participating and leading EU and national research projects. An important part of the research of the IT Security within the Centre for Digital Safety & Security is concentrated on secure system design for safety and security-critical information systems. Our current research work includes security aspects in Cloud Computing, security technologies for Service Oriented Architecture with a focus on the efficient implementation of security requirements through model-driven approaches, the development of federated identity management, cyber defences of critical infrastructure, security for smart grid and smart meters, and organisational information security management. AIT works in close collaboration with national stakeholders, such as the ministry of the interior, ministry of defence and CERT.at. AIT is an active member of the European research community, such as ECSO (European Cyber Security Organization) https://www.ecs-org.eu/, and has participated and also coordinated numerous European research projects.