The Chairman of the Information Systems Authority, Nerses Yeritsyan, participated in a panel discussion titled “Cyber Resilience in the AI Era: Defending States, Infrastructure, and Trust” organized within the framework of the “Yerevan Dialogue 2026” international forum.During the discussion, the challenges of cyber resilience in the age of artificial intelligence, the protection of critical infrastructure, and the maintenance of public trust were addressed.Nerses Yeritsyan emphasized that modern cyber threats require not only technological solutions, but also the strengthening of international and public-private cooperation.

The Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA) is leading the implementation of the Government IT Service Transformation (GITS) Project as part of the Government of the Republic of Armenia’s digital transformation agenda.  The GITS Project aims to bring the end-user IT environment in public institutions (employees’ computers/workstations and their support) to a unified, secure and predictable model. Currently, public institutions often procure equipment as standalone assets and then manage deployment and support independently, resulting in fragmented technology environments, uneven service quality, aging equipment, and elevated cybersecurity risks.  Within the GITS Project, a transition is envisaged to a service-based approach, under which workstations and related infrastructure will be provided as a service on a rental/leasing-type basis. This includes device provisioning, deployment, technical support, secure updates, monitoring, periodic replacement (lifecycle management), and regulated end-of-service/exit (exit/transition) mechanisms. Service quality will be managed through measurable indicators (SLA/KPI), and the contractual model will provide for clear accountability, control and reporting. The Project will be implemented in a phased approach. During 2026, the pilot procurement approach will be refined, and the market will be engaged to discuss the service scope, realistic requirements, delivery models, and pricing structures to properly organize subsequent competitive procurement processes. For this purpose, ISAA invites you to participate in the preliminary discussions under the GITS Project. 

On March 25, the National Assembly debated the issue of electing the Chairman of the Information Systems Regulatory Commission and elected Nerses Yeritsyan as Chairman. The Information Systems Regulatory Commission is an autonomous regulatory body that ensures the development of information system security measures, coordinates the implementation of information system security measures, and develops the digital architecture of information systems. The main objective of the Commission is to ensure a regulatory legal framework for the formation and development of a unified, cybersecurity-oriented digital environment in the Republic of Armenia, which will enable the provision of convenient digital services to citizens through the state information system. Giving a speech, Nerses Yeritsyan expressed gratitude to the Government for the trust and nomination of his candidacy for that important position, presented his vision and ideas for his activities if elected to that position, spoke about the process of digital transformation, the formation of a competitive digital society and economy, touched upon the issue of ensuring cybersecurity, the challenges existing in the field, and other issues. “Having earned your trust, I am ready to contribute my public and corporate management knowledge, experience, and best international practice to form an exemplary and competitive public structure together with the members of the Commission,” the candidate underscored. You can find Nerses Yeritsyan’s biographical data at this link.

The Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA) invites interested stakeholders to participate in a market sounding exercise in preparation for the planned launch of a Cybersecurity Research and Development (R&D) Grant Program, as outlined in the attached Technical Terms of Reference (TOR).  This initiative aims to position the Republic of Armenia as a regional center for advanced cybersecurity innovation, fostering the development of preemptive, scalable, and verifiable cyber defense solutions across government and critical infrastructure sectors. Accordingly, ISAA invites market participants to review the attached TOR and provide feedback to support the refinement of the program design prior to its formal launch.  The purpose of this market sounding is to gather expert feedback from market participants, including private sector entities, research institutions, and international organizations, in order to validate the proposed approach, ensure alignment with international best practices, and refine the TOR prior to its formal issuance. 

The head of the “Interoperability and Data Governance” team at ISAA, Laura Aydinyan, participated in a panel discussion titled “Digital Infrastructures and the Real Economy” during Doing Digital Forum 2026. The discussion focused on what it means in practice to bridge digital platforms and the real economy. The key message is clear: digital infrastructure must function as “rails” on top of which businesses, financial institutions, and public services can build and scale their activities. When these foundations are in place, the real economy itself begins to drive further digital development. “In Armenia, this approach is already materializing. The development of the ADEL (Armenian Data Exchange Layer), alongside supporting components such as X-Road, data catalog and base registries, is enabling interoperability across institutions. With more than 30 entities from both the public and private sectors already connected, the focus is no longer on whether interoperability is possible, but on scaling its use in practice,” she noted. The Doing Digital Forum is an annual event that unites leaders from the business, government, communication, and fintech sectors. On April 8, 2026, Doing Digital Forum was convened under the theme “Bridging Platforms & Economies.

At the plenary session of the National Assembly, the Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, presented the candidate for Chair of the “Information Systems Regulatory Commission.” In accordance with the quota defined by legislation, Nerses Yeritsyan has been nominated by the Government of the Republic of Armenia for this position for a term of 5 years. Details: https://hightech.gov.am/.../tegekatv.../ayl/norutyunner/isrc

At TUMO Labs, the closing event of the first phase of the Cybersecurity Capacity Development Program took place, the purpose of which was to summarize the work carried out during 2024–2026. Opening remarks were delivered by the Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Ruben Simonyan, the Director of the Information Systems Agency of Armenia, Nerses Yeritsyan, and the Head of TUMO Labs, Bella Vasilian. Remarks were also delivered by the Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in Armenia Lars Hennig, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Araksya Svajyan, TUMO’s Chief Development Officer Pegor Papazyan, Global Head of the “Partnership for Streghteing Cybersecurity” program Raphael Pfaucsch. In his speech, ISAA Director Nerses Yeritsyan emphasized that cybersecurity has become a pillar of national security and economic stability. According to him, alongside the country’s digitalization process, it is necessary to ensure the protection of the digital environment as well, by forming a reliable, collaborative ecosystem. He highlighted the importance of youth engagement, noting that the formation of a cybersecurity culture from an early age is a national priority. According to the Director, this approach contributes both to increasing digital literacy and to the formation of professional capacity at an international level. In this process, cooperation between the public, private, and educational sectors is key, and the program is an important platform for the formation of such cooperation. He also noted that aligning educational programs with market demands ensures the competitiveness of future specialists at the international level. As part of the event, a tour was organized at TUMO Labs, during which the cybersecurity self-learning program, the results of cyber sprints, and the project-based learning model were presented. This initiative is carried out in cooperation with the Information Systems Agency of Armenia (ISAA), co-financed by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and ISAA, and supported by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) within the framework of the “Partnership for Strengthening Cybersecurity” program. The Information Systems Agency of Armenia leads Armenia’s digital transformation by forming a trust-based e-society and e-economy.

In recent days, an increase in telephone fraud has been observed. Fraudsters make calls from local or foreign phone numbers or send messages via WhatsApp, Telegram, and Viber applications. Presenting themselves as employees of a bank, telecom operator, delivery service, or state body, they aim to gain access to your personal data and phone applications in order to extract financial resources without your consent. For example, they instruct you to: ❗transfer or dictate the service activation code received via SMS,❗click on the link received via SMS and fill in bank card or personal details,❗install a special application on your phone, for example, to activate 5G service or to use another service for free. If you follow these instructions, fraudsters may: ▪️steal your financial resources,▪️gain access to your banking applications and perform any operations,▪️send messages to your acquaintances,▪️steal your messages,▪️control your phone on your behalf. ⛔All of this can happen instantly. What to do: 🔷do not answer calls from unknown numbers, especially if the call is from abroad,🔷do not click on links in unknown SMS messages,🔷immediately end the call if you are asked to provide data, open a link, or perform any action,🔷do not share your personal data, passwords, or banking codes over the phone. 🛡️Information Systems Agency of Armenia🛡️Computer Emergency Response Team (AM-CERT)      

On March 5, the reputable magazine Forbes published an article by the Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, titled “Cybersecurity as a Catalyst for Digital Trust in Emerging Tech Hubs.” In the article, the Minister addressed Armenia’s efforts aimed at forming a comprehensive national cybersecurity architecture by combining legislation, the institutional system, and digital infrastructures, which are intended to strengthen digital trust and promote the development of innovation. The full article is available at: https://shorturl.at/ohttO