The first Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit brought together 38 breakthrough groups that covered 36 distinct topics. The objective of each group was to identify an international cybersecurity issue that requires an international policy breakthrough and to develop actionable and effective recommendations to address that issue. 

The work of the breakthrough groups will continue throughout the year and feed in to the second Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit in London in June 2011. To enable the work of the breakthrough groups, EWI and the cybersecurity summit's technical cosponsor, the IEEE Communications Society, have set up an online forum where you can get updates, contribute to the debate and help find solutions for pressing cybersecurity concerns. Currently the forum contains records of the summit sessions, which will be used as a starting point to further develop each individual topic.

Your contribution to the development of these topics is much appreciated.

Please click here to register for the forum and continue the conversation from the first Worldwide Cybersecurity Summit. 

Structure

Breakthrough-group sessions were asked to submit reports that include the following elements. The provided online forum can be used to enhance each of these sections:

1. Problem: It is essential that the problem be well defined and agreed to in terms of scope, impact and reasons for not being solved to date. 
2. Recommendation: The core of a recommendation is a clear statement of who should do what.  It is helpful if this articulation is supported with an explanation of the purpose, i.e. why the prescribed action is being directed. It is often most effective if the recommendation is developed with an iterative process that simultaneously develops the required commitments (3) and the alternatives approaches (4). 
3. Required Commitment: A concise statement of necessary commitments is essential.  Generally, it is helpful to outline the commitments for the private sector, nation-states and other stakeholders. 
4. Alternative Approaches & Consequences: There are usually several options for solving a problem.  These options should be summarized and reasons given for why they are less preferable than the proposed recommendation.
5. Benefits of the Recommendation: The value proposition for achieving the desired outcome should be stated.
6. Next Steps: These are suggested near-term actions to keep the momentum going.  The next steps are not a complete plan.
7. Measures of Success: The mastery of a problem, an effective countermeasure and the resulting benefits can be demonstrated by the ability to quantify the value produced. 

Not all of records currently reflect a good use of this structure. The online forums provide an opportunity to refine breakthrough-group reports and provide clear and actionable consensus recommendations.