On November 30, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry organized a workshop titled “Digitalize, Armenia”. The goal of the event was to promote cooperation between the public and private sectors, identify existing issues, and propose new solutions.The Minister of High-Tech Industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, delivered the opening remarks. In his speech, he addressed the implementation of efforts aimed at digitalizing public services, streamline processes, and strengthening the connection between the state and the private sector.The First Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry, Gevorg Mantashyan, emphasized the value of such events. He stressed the need for private sector involvement in shaping the country's digital future, as well as jointly developing a roadmap for cooperation.Avag Avanesyan, Deputy Minister of Finance, presented the Ministry’s position on public procurement policy, emphasizing the vision of developing digital contracts.While presenting the digital transformation agenda, the Director of the Information Systems Agency of Armenia, Nerses Yeritsyan, stressed the importance of involving pioneers of private sector. He emphasized the need for collaboration in identifying and developing optimal solutions for the digitalization process. Yeritsyan also underlined the importance of establishing feedback mechanisms to continuously improve services provided to citizens.Nerses Yeritsyan also addressed the agenda for capacity-building in the field of cybersecurity, highlighting the launch of a joint program with the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and GIZ.The Head of UI/UX and Digital Services of the Agency, Harmik Azarian, presented the “12 Life Events” digital reform project. During the discussions around the project, the importance of strengthening cooperation between state agencies was emphasized and a continued focus on simplifying processes for citizens.

From November 19 to 22, a delegation from the Information Systems Agencyof Armenia conducted a working visit to Estonia.As part of the visit, representatives from ISAA participated in the AnnualTallinn Digital Summit on November 19-20. The summit, which has been heldsince 2017, aims to bring together representatives from the public andprivate sectors, as well as policymakers from countries that have achievedsuccess in the field of digitalization. The goal of the summit is to discussdevelopments in the field of digitalization and address existing challenges.On November 19, as part of the summit, the United Nations Department ofEconomic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) organized a panel discussion on thetopic: “Digitalization of Public Services: Challenges andOpportunities for Developing Landlocked Countries.” The Director ofISAA, Nerses Yeritsyan, participated as a speaker, presenting Armenia’sdigitalization agenda, completed projects, and ongoing initiatives. Hehighlighted the importance of strengthening national capacities incybersecurity, data interoperability, and data protection. On November 20, as part of the event, ISAA’s Head of UX and ServiceDelivery, Harmik Azarian, delivered a presentation on the “hartak.am”national services platform and the 12 “life event” projects aimed atadvancing Armenia’s digital transformation.During the visit, a meeting was held with representatives of Estonia’sInformation System Authority (RIA) to gain on-site knowledge of theEstonian experience, which is considered one of the world’s leadingexamples in the field of digitalization. Discussions focused on the possibilitiesof localizing best practices in Armenia. Topics included the “X-Road”interoperability platform and the digital national identificationsystem.The ISAA delegation also met with representatives of the Estonian partnercompany, “Proud Engineers”, to discuss the current scope ofcollaboration, review ongoing activities, and explore future cooperationopportunities.On November 21-22, additional meetings were held with companiesoperating in the fields of digitalization and data interoperability. Thediscussions highlighted best practices in public-private partnerships,citizen-centered and trusted services development, and the design andimplementation of modern digital services. Companies presented their bestpractices for developing and providing citizen-oriented digital services.

On November 5, the 9th Armenian Internet Governance Forum - ArmIGF took place. The event was held under the topic “Cyber reality and secure digital future.” The forum serves as a unique platform for industry professionals to present and discuss existing challenges in internet governance and cybersecurity. The event featured thematic panel discussions on cybersecurity, digitalization, as well as the protection of personal data. Participants in the panel discussions included Shant Kassardjian, Director of Cybersecurity at the Information Systems Agency, and Artur Sargsyan, Legal Council. Shant Kassardjian presented the Agency’s functions within the context of ensuring the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure. He emphasized the activities of AM-CERT, the national computer incident response team, whose mission is to investigate and coordinate responses to cybersecurity incidents affecting Armenia’s national critical infrastructure. The speaker highlighted the importance of public-private sector cooperation in strengthening Armenia’s digital protection. Additionally, Shant Kassardjian addressed the Agency’s policy of studying and localizing international best practices in the field. Artur Sargsyan presented the details of the draft laws on “Cybersecurity” and “Public Information” in the Republic of Armenia. He stressed the necessity of legislative initiatives regulating the field to ensure digital security in Armenia.

On October 12, the "AI Conf" conference, dedicated to artificial intelligence, was organized.As part of the conference, a panel discussion on "AI in Government" took place, where the Deputy Minister of High-tech Industry Ruben Simonyan, the Deputy Minister of Economy Sevak Mikayelyan, and the Director of the Information Systems Agency Nerses Yeritsyan participated as speakers.The Director of the Agency emphasized the transformative power of artificial intelligence, highlighting the opportunities and impact of integrating AI tools into standardized processes, as well as outlined the vision for incorporating AI into various workflows.The discussion also touched on the AI tools utilized by the Agency, aimed at enhancing efficiency and productivity within teams. Specifically, the data catalog search system and data classification processes were presented, which have improved data accuracy and ensured consistent data quality.Additionally, Hartak.am Companion application, currently in development, was introduced. This application will provide citizens with simplified responses to their inquiries regarding government services.

On October 6, a panel discussion on "Best Practices of Digitalization Strategies in the World and Armenia's Current Actions." was held as part of the Digitec event. Nerses Yeritsyan, the Director of the Armenian Information Systems Agency, was a speaker at the discussion.   Mr. Yeritsyan presented the concept of the digital architecture of Armenia and the digitalization agenda, highlighting key directions and initiatives. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of the effectiveness of fundamental reforms in the context of services provided by the state to its citizens.   The discussion also highlighted the foundational role of ensuring cybersecurity within the framework of digital processes. For this purpose, the AM-CERT national incident response team has been established, tasked with investigating and coordinating responses to cybersecurity incidents affecting Armenia's national critical infrastructure. The team is recognized as a contact point for international cooperation in the field of cybersecurity.   During the panel discussion, the best practices of the field were also presented. Agency collaborates with leading international companies to localize these practices.   Other speakers at the session included Garegin Gevorgyan, the Director of the Financial Systems Stability and Regulation Department of the CBA, as well as representatives from the World Bank and the private sector.

On October 5, as part of the WCIT Congress, a panel discussion titled "AI as a Driving Force for E-Governance and E-Society Transformation" took place. The discussion was organized by the Information Systems Agency of Armenia with the support of the Central Bank and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry, based on the relevance and importance of Armenia's digitalization strategy.   The event was attended by representatives from the public authorities of Armenia and the Kingdom of Denmark, the World Bank, as well as the private sectors of the Republics of Estonia and Latvia.   In the framework of the panel discussion the potential of AI in the process of transforming digital governance was presented, emphasizing the need for the implementation of risk mitigation mechanisms and tools.   The President of the Central Bank of Armenia, Martin Galstyan, discussed the opportunities and risks of implementing AI in the context of ensuring financial stability.   A representative of the leading Estonian company "Proud engineers" also participated in the panel discussion. He shared insights about Estonia's experience, which is currently a leader in the field and serves as a guide for shaping Armenia's digitalization agenda.   Harmck Azarian, Head of UX and Service Delivery at the Information Systems Agency, in his speech referred to the tangible impact of AI in the context of real-time services provided to citizens.

As part of the WCIT event taking place in Yerevan from October 4-7 Information Systems Agency of Armenia organized a panel discussion on the topic "AI and the Future of Cybersecurity: Global Challanges". International experts in the field arrived in Armenia to participate in the discussions, where they presented the global experience in cybersecurity, the existing challenges, and also reflected on the latest global trends related to the development of AI. Shant Kassardjian, Cyber ​​Security Director of the Agency, emphasized the importance of risk management associated with the integration of AI in the protection of critical infrastructure. The panel also highlighted the actions being taken by the Armenian government to prepare country's technological infrastructures for the use of AI in national cyber security. Additionally, regulatory and operational frameworks were discussed to mitigate the growing risks, particularly in the financial sector.

Information Systems Agency and VISA jointly organized event titled "Driving Government Digitalization in Armenia: Visa's collaborative approach".   The event was part of the partnership established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier between the Agency and VISA. The signing of the Memorandum aims to combine the potential of both parties to contribute to the digitalization of services in Armenia.   Within the framework of the event, the Agency outlined digitalization agenda and vision of Armenia, showcasing the progress made. Harmick Azarian, Head of UX & Service Delivery at the Agency, presented the national service gateway, as well as the importance of centralizing information received by citizens through a single platform.   "Visa" presented the best international practice of digital payments, emphasizing the importance of improving government services and ensuring smooth, secure, and efficient interactions for citizens. The presentations were followed by a panel discussion with the participation of the beneficiary organizations, where participants explored potential solutions for advancing the digitalization of state payments.

From July 23-25, the Ministry of High-Tech Industry, the Central Bank, and the Information Systems Agency, in collaboration with “Google Mandiant,” organized a workshop on “Incident Response Preparedness.” The purpose of the workshop is to present and discuss the challenges of cybersecurity vulnerabilities faced by public administration authorities and stakeholders in the private sector in Armenia, to enhance the capabilities of incident response, to develop national capacities, and to localize international best practices.

Nowadays, the world becomes more and more interconnected with technology, which has penetrated all spheres of our life. Underestimating the role of cyber security in this regard can be fatal both for an individual and for the state. Apart from the physical boundaries, it is vital to protect the “state boundaries”, which should be done by everyone of us. What is cybersecurity?To be concise, cybersecurity is the protection of devices, services and data from attacks, which are connected to the internet. Instant access to the Internet, smart homes and phones, other modern equipment: it seems that all these are created to make our life easy and danger free. However, it turns out that potential threats are hidden behind each of these. The steady increase in the number of cybercrimes also proves that the technologies we use every day are not safe and can lead to irreversible consequences. In other words, cyber security is the set of measures to protect existing systems, networks and applications from digital attacks. These cyber-attacks are usually carried out to obtain, modify or destroy sensitive information, extort money from users, disrupt business processes and even undermine the national security of a country. The role of cybersecurity in Armenia use complex passwords activate two-factor authentication, which allows logging into your account with a new device, in addition to the password, you must also enter a one-time code that will be sent to you on spot. use only reliable sources, se email carefully. messages received by mail or by any other means, refrain from clicking on suspicious links; be careful when transferring information via USB devices, SD cards, CDs or other means. especially in the case of remote work, strictly observe all the rules on your mobile devices to minimize the risks of sharing sensitive information in case of their loss or theft, also refrain from using personal computers for work purposes, no matter how convenient it may be; beware of using public wifi when working remotely, as it is often used to extort information or damage your equipment. So, in an increasingly digitized world, cyber security is a vital requirement with no exception. We should treat carefully for usage of various technologies, transfer and storage data with care and caution. We are our data.

On April 3, the international Doing Digital forum was held with the title “Embracing digital opportunities”. The Doing Digital Forum is an annual gathering showcasing top speakers and thought leaders at the forefront of digital transformation, as well as discuss the existing opportunities in various areas of finance and business. Harmik Azaryan, head of user experience and service delivery department, represented the Information Systems Agency of Armenia at the international forum and was one of the main speakers of Doing Digital Forum. Harmik Azaryan presented the important of digital transformation from the perspective of user experience. Therefore, it is also important to implement the digitalization process of state services from that point of view. The Information Systems Agency of Armenia has won an award for its contribution to the formation of the e-society of Armenia.