In view of the steadily growing relevance of cybersecurity for companies, the topic of resilience is becoming increasingly important. Recent data shows a sustained increase in IT security spending in Germany. While investment volumes are increasing, the question remains whether companies are actually secure enough to protect themselves adequately. Many firms are broadly aware of their risks, but often lack a precise assessment and a correspondingly appropriate response.

Connectivity is essential for all companies, yet it simultaneously brings new and significant risks: externally accessible services always offer an attack surface for attackers, and companies often lack visibility into their own assets that are exposed to external threats.

In 2025, eco once again contributed to a secure and trustworthy digital future through its competence groups, initiatives and the Internet Security Days.

Initiative: Email Security Year 2025

The German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), eco – Association of the Internet Industry and Bitkom have joined forces under the “Email Security Year 2025” to make digital communication in Germany more secure. One reason for this was recent BSI analyses showing that it was high time to raise email security standards across Germany.

Companies were invited to participate in the initiative to strengthen public trust and improve the protection of individuals online. The existing level of security within a company was irrelevant; what mattered was the commitment to improving IT security infrastructure.

The BSI and eco supported participating companies in optimising their email security. As part of the “Email Security Year 2025”, workshops, webinars and discussions with experts from the BSI and eco were conducted. In parallel, an awareness campaign aimed at consumers was also successfully carried out. Companies and email service providers that demonstrated a commitment to the security of their digital communications were inducted into a “Hall of Fame”.

The “Hall of Fame” will continue in 2026, focusing on the security of DNS infrastructure.

Internet Security Days (ISD) 2025

On 15-16 September 2025, the Internet Security Days were held for the second time at the RheinEnergieSTADION. A key focus of this year’s ISD was “Email Security”. As part of the “Email Security Year” declared by the BSI – an initiative in which eco played a major role – a dedicated session addressed challenges and solutions in this area. This included a hands-on workshop on email security in companies, with particular emphasis on the consistent implementation of standards such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC, DNSSEC and DANE.

Further focal points included the security of digital infrastructures and cyber resilience. In 2026, the ISD will take place as a roadshow travelling across Germany.

Prof. Dr Norbert Pohlmann
eco Board Member for IT Security