Germany and Israel – Together Against Cyberattacks

In global cyber defense, everyone is in the same boat. Germany and Israel have different starting positions at first glance: here the strong industrial Mittelstand, there the agile start-up culture. But in digital security, these strengths complement each other excellently.

In this story, a German medium-sized company and an Israeli start-up meet at a conference – what emerges are new ideas and partnerships. This article shows realistically how German-Israeli cooperation in the cyber field looks and what benefits it brings particularly to SMEs.

GINSUM: The Bridge Between German SMEs and Israeli Start-ups

In 2020, with support from the German government, the German Israeli Network of Startups and Mittelstand (GINSUM) was launched. It aims to bring together Israeli innovation with German medium-sized companies. Why? Because a study showed that often market access and transparency are the hurdles – many medium-sized companies don't know the right start-ups, and vice versa.

GINSUM addresses this gap with events, mediation and projects. For SMEs, such a program can mean they more easily learn about an existing solution from Israel that solves their IT security problem, instead of having to laboriously develop something themselves.

Successful Cooperation Examples Between Both Countries

Large German corporations lead the way: Deutsche Telekom operates its own innovation team in Israel and has already brought several Israeli security companies into its portfolio. For example, Telekom invested in the company Cynet, which offers an automated threat detection platform – technologies that later also benefit Telekom's customers (including many medium-sized companies).

Volkswagen, in turn, founded the company Cymotive together with Israeli experts in 2016 to strengthen automotive security. These investments by large players act like bridgeheads: they bring know-how to Germany. Medium-sized automotive suppliers, for example, benefit from the more secure supply chain when VW provides cybersecurity solutions.

Knowledge Exchange and Networking Between Countries

Beyond the big deals, there are many initiatives at the working level. The Alliance for Cyber Security (BSI) exchanges with Israeli authorities, delegations of entrepreneurs visit each other's centers. At conferences like the annual CyberTech in Tel Aviv, German SME representatives are also present – because there you can see compactly what the market offers.

Israeli experts, in turn, come to German industry events. This cross-border exchange often leads to "matches": a German company describes a problem – such as secure remote maintenance of machines – and an Israeli start-up has the solution ready. Without cooperation, such contacts would never have been made.

Joint Research Projects for More Security

Both countries also work together on research projects. For example, on topics like post-quantum cryptography (security against quantum computers) or critical infrastructures. German thoroughness meets Israeli inventiveness – that sounds clichéd, but in the ideal case, it combines strengths.

The result can be practical solutions that then become available to SMEs in the form of products. An example: in an EU project, Israeli anomaly detection and German industrial plant knowledge were combined to develop a monitoring system for waterworks. The insights from this flow back into commercial solutions.

Challenges in German-Israeli Cooperation

Of course, there are also challenges: cultural differences (directness vs. restraint), legal differences (data protection!), and language are issues that must be mastered in cooperation. But the willingness is there – on both sides, it's recognized that the cyber threat is global and that together we are stronger.

Practice Tip: If you're curious about Israeli solutions, take a look at special events. Some chambers of commerce or the Federation of German Medium-Sized Businesses organize "start-up meets Mittelstand" formats, often with Israel focus. And dare to be a pilot customer: many start-ups are looking for reference customers in Germany. As an SME, you could possibly get an affordable entry solution and directly influence further development – a classic win-win situation.