ITL: Annual turnover of Estonia's digital technology sector reaches €12B

Estonia has successfully created a dedicated cybersecurity cluster within its digital sector, CEO of the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL), Doris Põld, stated at the 4th National Cybersecurity Forum in Baku, Report informs.

According to her, the cluster brings together companies with strong expertise or specialized cybersecurity products.

She noted that cooperation with such firms would provide excellent opportunities for joint activities, adding: "We focus on promoting cybersecurity skills, implementing international projects, and encouraging cybersecurity capabilities across other economic sectors. It is important to admit that we cannot do this alone."

Põld stressed that international partnerships are particularly vital for Estonia: "As a country, we cannot separate digital and cyber. That is why the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is located in Estonia. This began in 2007 when we were the first country to face a large-scale cyberattack, and no major incident occurred. Out of necessity, cybersecurity became one of our core elements, and our companies grew from this need. Today we rank third in the global cybersecurity index, which means there is still work ahead to climb higher."

The CEO added that around 39,000 people are employed in Estonia's digital technology sector, which has an annual turnover of €12 billion, with approximately 60% generated from exports.