SAND5G Webinar

🗓️ Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2026

🕑 Time: 15:00 – 16:00 EET (Greece)

🌐 Online Webinar

🔔

(Registration is free, but required).

About the Webinar

As a partner in the SAND5G consortium, p-NET Emerging Networks & Verticals announces the third session in the “Through the Lens of…” webinar series titled “5G Cybersecurity through the lens of Business”.

This workshop explores how cybersecurity supports both practical deployment and market readiness for European SMEs operating in 5G+ and communication ecosystems. Participants will gain insights from real-world SME experience in implementing cost-effective security monitoring, detection, and response solutions, while also learning why cybersecurity has become a key condition for trust, scalability, and commercial adoption. The sessions highlight how early investment in people, tools, and processes enables SMEs to compete and grow securely.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is designed for:

  • Executives and senior managers responsible for strategy, growth, resilience, and risk
  • Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), cybersecurity managers, and IT leaders working with 5G and emerging networks
  • Telecoms, critical infrastructure, and technology-sector professionals
  • Policy, compliance, legal, and risk management experts
  • Startups, SMEs, and enterprises interested in secure and scalable 5G deployment

Expert Speakers

Ovidiu Mihaila

Ovidiu Mihaila

Innovation Funding Manager

Bitdefender 

Ovidiu is an Innovation funding expert at Bitdefender, working at the intersection of cybersecurity, European funding programmes, and market adoption. With over 10 years of experience supporting startups, SMEs, and deep-tech companies, his focus is on translating advanced cybersecurity innovations into fundable, scalable, and commercially viable solutions, particularly within EU-funded initiatives.

Kostas-Poulios

Kostas Poulios

Senior Manager

Sphynx Technology Solutions AG

Kostas Poulios is a senior technology leader, enterprise architect, and programme manager with a professional background in consulting, software engineering, systems integration, and cybersecurity dating back to 2001. He joined SPHYNX in 2021, where he provides strategic and technical leadership, guides product development, and manages a portfolio of EU-funded innovation projects. He is also actively involved in mentoring teams and aligning technology execution with business and regulatory objectives.

Prior to SPHYNX, he spent more than a decade at Centrica Plc (UK) in senior management roles, including Global Head of Integration, leading enterprise-wide integration strategies and establishing Centres of Excellence. He began his career as a SAP consultant and has since directed large-scale programmes across the energy, telecommunications, and consulting sectors.

Wissam-Mallouli

Wissam Mallouli

Senior Researcher and CTO

Montimage (France)

Wissam Mallouli is a cybersecurity expert and researcher at Montimage, France, with extensive experience in network security, monitoring, and automated security testing. He has been actively involved in multiple European R&I projects, contributing to the design of resilient, trustworthy, and AI-assisted cybersecurity solutions for complex systems, including 5G and beyond networks. His work focuses on practical and business-oriented security approaches for SMEs, combining formal methods, AI techniques, and real-world deployment experience. Wissam regularly contributes to standardization, training activities, and international conferences, bridging the gap between research and industrial needs.

Webinar Coordinator

Athanassios-Staveris-Polykalas

Athanassios Staveris-Polykalas

Senior Cybersecurity Specialist

p-NET Emerging Networks & Verticals

Athanassios Staveris-Polykalas is a cybersecurity expert and digital transformation consultant with extensive experience in telecommunications, cybersecurity policy, and the application of artificial intelligence in public administration and private sector operations. As the former Secretary General of Telecommunications and Posts in Greece, he led key national projects that strengthened the country’s digital infrastructure. He was responsible for the implementation of the European emergency number 112, improving the efficiency and coordination of emergency services. He also oversaw the rollout of Ultra-Fast Broadband, expanding high-speed internet access across the country. In addition, Athanassios developed national cybersecurity policies aimed at protecting critical infrastructure and aligning Greece with EU cybersecurity directives.

Athanassios currently advises organizations on the integration of AI technologies and the development of cybersecurity frameworks. At the Hellenic Development Bank, he supports projects focused on improving internal processes and decision-making through AI-driven data analysis and automation. He also works with UNDP on digital transformation initiatives that promote secure and sustainable development. His work ensures that digital technologies are implemented effectively while maintaining regulatory compliance and security standards.

Webinar Agenda

15:00 – 15:05 EET

Opening 

Athanassios Staveris-Polykalas

Senior Cybersecurity Specialist

p-NET Emerging Networks & Verticals

15:05 – 15:20 EET

This presentation explores why cybersecurity is no longer a technical afterthought but a market entry condition for European SMEs operating in communication ecosystems. It highlights how early investment in people, budget, and tools directly impacts trust, scalability, and commercial adoption.

Ovidiu Mihaila

Innovation Funding Manager

Bitdefender

15:20 – 15:35 EET

This presentation examines how 5G cybersecurity platforms go beyond technical protection to support business decision-making for SMEs operating in complex, multi-stakeholder environments. It highlights how risk visibility, impact awareness, and actionable insight enable informed operational, investment, and governance decisions in 5G ecosystems.

Kostas Poulios

Senior Manager

Sphynx

15:35 – 15:50 EET

This presentation will share Montimage’s practical experience as an SME in designing and deploying cybersecurity solutions for 5G+ networks. It will focus on business-oriented challenges, real-world use cases, and cost-effective security monitoring, detection, and response solutions tailored to the needs and constraints of SMEs

Wissam Mallouli

Senior Researcher and CTO

Montimage (France)

15:50 – 16:00 EET

Questions and Answers Session & Closing


Athanassios Staveris-Polykalas