Cybersecurity is no longer simply about protecting networks, servers and data. Today, cyberspace has become one of the domains in which a country’s security, the continuity of its essential services and, increasingly, its defence capabilities are put to the test.
This is the context in which the Defence Bill approved by the Italian Council of Ministers in August 2026 takes shape. The legislation introduces the concept of “cyberspace of national interest for the defence and military security of the State” and strengthens the role of the Italian Armed Forces in the cyber domain.
This transformation extends well beyond the Armed Forces. Decisions taken today on cybersecurity will also affect the relationship between public institutions, businesses, critical infrastructure and technology supply chains.
What is cyberspace of national interest?
One of the key elements of the Defence Bill is the introduction of “cyberspace of national interest for the defence and military security of the State.” The concept is intended to identify the digital systems whose functions are directly relevant to the security and operational capabilities of the Defence sector.
This does not refer solely to computer networks or servers. Cyberspace also includes systems that connect the digital and physical worlds: technologies used to manage communications, control industrial facilities and machinery, and enable infrastructure and platforms to operate.
This is an important shift because it broadens the very meaning of cybersecurity. Protecting cyberspace no longer means only preventing data theft or unauthorised access to a network. It also means preventing a digital attack from producing tangible consequences, such as disrupting a service, compromising infrastructure or reducing a system’s operational capabilities.
Cyber as an operational domain and the challenge of hybrid threats
The new regulatory framework builds on a transformation already under way within the Italian Defence sector, which now considers cyber one of the operational domains to be integrated with land, sea, air and space.
The cyber domain is no longer seen simply as technological support for traditional activities, but as an operational environment in its own right, requiring dedicated prevention, protection, analysis and response capabilities.
In line with this approach, the Defence Bill designates the Chief of Defence Staff as the Ministry of Defence’s cyber authority, strengthening and formalising an organisational transformation that was already in progress.
The enhanced role of the military does not, however, replace Italy’s existing national cybersecurity framework. The National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) and CSIRT Italia continue to oversee the civilian sphere, while the Defence sector assumes specific responsibilities when cyber issues concern military security and national defence.
Coordination between these organisations will be particularly important when attacks affect strategic infrastructure or services (such as telecommunications, energy or digital services) that are relevant to both the country as a whole and the Defence sector.
This evolution is especially significant in the face of increasingly hybrid threats, which may combine cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation and pressure on critical infrastructure. These are complex scenarios in which different tools can be deployed simultaneously to pursue the same objective.
The strategic value of data
The transformation of the Defence sector also revolves around an increasingly important resource: data.
Italy’s Defence Digital Strategy 2026–2030 is moving towards an increasingly data-centric model, in which access to reliable, secure and readily usable information is essential to understanding complex scenarios and making timely decisions.
From this perspective, data is no longer simply an IT resource to be safeguarded: it has acquired genuine strategic value. Collecting information, protecting it and turning it into knowledge strengthens analytical and response capabilities, particularly in complex and rapidly evolving environments.
It is therefore significant that the new framework also assigns senior military leadership unified responsibility for the management of Defence data. Security, computing capacity, artificial intelligence and information management are becoming increasingly interconnected components of the same digital ecosystem.
Data centres and data sovereignty
The growing importance of data raises another key question: how can increasingly powerful technology infrastructure be used while maintaining appropriate control over the most sensitive information?
This issue has also been highlighted by Cristiano Rufini, President of Olidata, who has stressed that rising investment in data centres must be accompanied by greater attention to data security and sovereignty.
According to Rufini, working with major global cloud providers remains essential, given the infrastructure, expertise and technological capabilities they have developed through large-scale investment. The challenge is therefore not to turn away from these resources, but to determine how they can be used while preserving control over the most strategic assets.
As Olidata’s President has pointed out, “the real challenge will be data protection and national data sovereignty.” This principle concerns not only where information is stored, but also how it is protected and governed, for example by ensuring that the cryptographic keys used to secure data remain under national control. Digital sovereignty therefore means being able to benefit from the best available infrastructure without giving up security or control over strategic information.
Cyber expertise: the introduction of the Military Cyber Specialist
Strengthening the Defence sector’s cyber capabilities is not only about technology and infrastructure, but also about the expertise required to operate and protect them.
The Defence Bill also addresses skills by introducing the role of Military Cyber Specialist, intended for personnel with advanced expertise in the cyber domain. The measure recognises the importance of specialist professionals in turning new technologies and structures into effective operational capabilities.
A new phase for Italy’s digital security
The introduction of cyberspace of national interest marks an important step in the evolution of Italy’s digital security. Cyber is becoming an increasingly integral part of the country’s defence strategy, while industry faces a growing need to develop technologies and infrastructure that are secure, reliable and resilient by design.
For Olidata, this evolution confirms that security and innovation can no longer be considered separately. Protecting data and digital infrastructure, ensuring operational continuity and maintaining control over strategic assets all contribute to the resilience and competitiveness of the country as a whole, making security not a constraint on innovation, but one of the conditions required to make innovation sustainable over time.