Use compelling figures from representative population surveys as communication events: In 2023, eco Association Communications expanded on this strategy, which was initiated in 2022. Here, eco worked more closely with the market and opinion research institute Civey. The “Number of the Week” was established to publish exciting news every week on how digitalisation is supporting private and working life. The German Press Agency (dpa) recommended many eco reports to the daily media in Germany, so that the topic of IT security, for example, was able to generate more than 1,800 media reports over the year with quotes from eco spokespersons. Experts from the eco Association provided tips on secure passwords, working in an outdoor office, protecting your own smart home devices from cyberattacks and securely storing data in the cloud.

The eco Association’s major events, such as the Data Centre Expert Summit (DCES), also provided exciting opportunities for communication. Trade magazines as well as leading media such as the FAZ took an interest in the data centre sector. The topics of the Internet Security Days (ISDs) were also very well received by the press, and the eco Association Communications team supported the event from its conception to the follow-up reporting.

In 2023, the ICANN78 meeting in Hamburg in November was also a highlight for eco Association’s communication. ICANN celebrated 25 years of multi-stakeholder governance together with the City of Hamburg, DENIC eG and the eco Association. Together, they welcomed around 2,800 international visitors. They set the course for the development of the Internet of the future. The important work of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) was vividly explained to a broad public with reports in many leading media, including WELT and Süddeutsche Zeitung, and several mentions and interviews on TV, for example in the Hamburg Journal.

Support for the newly founded KRITIS (Critical Infrastructure) Competence Group also gained momentum. There is a considerable need to educate companies in this area, as the NIS2 KRITIS umbrella law now regulates this topic much more comprehensively, meaning that more companies are affected. eco contributed to this educational work with figures, tips and press releases. The communication surrounding the publication of the IT Security Study 2022 showed that companies are on the right track here. Other security topics were aimed at the public media, such as the risks to which data and photos are exposed during vacations. In a press release, eco provided eight specific tips for smartphone protection on holiday, which were distributed via dpa and attracted a great deal of attention in the daily press.

The dissemination of exciting figures from studies also fuelled eco’s reporting. The Internet industry is recovering faster than expected from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, according to the update of the eco Industry Monitor: eco and Arthur D. Little expect growth of 14 per cent for 2023. The eco Association Communications team also accompanied the publication of the new edition of the ECN Pulse Check 2023, which showed that 45 per cent of companies are relying on cloud-native strategies. This news was picked up by practically all relevant trade magazines, and many journalists took part in the online press conference.

The topic of skills shortages was also on the minds of eco member companies. Which is why the eco New Work Competence Group publicised that 57.9 per cent of Germans believe that working conditions in the IT sector are good. However, another survey also showed that prejudices regarding women’s IT and technical skills are still widespread.