Guide to making tomorrow’s smart cities secure and safe

“The rapid evolution of Smart Cities is both exciting and daunting due to the incredible pace of technological change and adoption,” noted Bruce McConnell, EWI Global Vice President, who heads the institute’s Global Cooperation in Cyberspace program, and co-author of the report. “This guide was developed to recognise and support all key stakeholders involved, municipalities, governments, urban planners, businesses and community leaders, to help them safeguard Smart Cities for the future.”

A product of the EastWest Institute’s Breakthrough Group on Secure, Resilient Cities and the Internet of Things, this guide was prepared by Bruce McConnell and Andreas Kuehn, EWI Senior Program Associate, with input from senior experts from Unisys, Microsoft, Huawei Technologies and NXP Semiconductors, as well as perspectives from over 15 global specialists.

Unisys Chairman and CEO Peter Altabef, added: “Urban leaders around the globe are embracing the concept of Smart Cities, using technology, interconnectivity and the Internet of Things to improve their citizens’ lives. City officials must be aware of key lessons and best practises to implement and integrate technologies that make Smart Cities Safe Cities for improved public safety and public health. This guide was created for this express purpose.”

The guide will help to identify and describe city-wide challenges and provide recommended actions across four major areas:

• Cyber security
• Cyber resilience
• Privacy and data protection
• Collaboration and coordination in governance