A PSsystec Perspective on the Munich Security Conference 2026

From February 13 to 15, 2026, Munich will once again host the global security community at the Munich Security Conference. Heads of state and government, senior policymakers, military leaders and technology experts will gather at a moment of profound uncertainty: long-standing alliances are under pressure, the rules-based international order is eroding and geopolitical, economic and technological risks are increasingly intertwined.

What has become clear over recent years and will be even more visible at MSC 2026 is a fundamental shift in how security is understood. The debate is no longer limited to military power, defense policy or cyber threats. Security is now framed systemically: as the ability of societies, economies and infrastructures to remain functional under stress.

This is where the PSsystec perspective begins.

Not as a cyber-security vendor.
Not as a geopolitical commentator.
But as an interpreter of a frequently overlooked layer: operational infrastructure security in the field.

1. Critical Infrastructure: Security Begins in Operations, Not in Control Rooms

When security is discussed at the MSC, critical infrastructure is increasingly central to the conversation. Energy supply, water systems, telecommunications, buildings and distributed technical facilities form the backbone of modern societies and their resilience determines whether states and economies can remain functional in times of crisis.

In practice, security often fails not because strategies are missing but because operational visibility is lacking.

Many infrastructures today:

• are decades old and highly heterogeneous
• were never designed for real-time data transparency
• cannot be shut down or rebuilt without major disruption
• operate largely outside modern IT environments

This creates a silent vulnerability: operational security without real-time insight.

PSsystec addresses this gap with non-invasive retrofit solutions from the SMARTbox portfolio. Energy flows, system states and alarms are captured directly at the asset level without interfering with existing installations, without downtime and without integrating into local IT systems.

Here, security does not emerge from isolation or restriction but from operational reliability:

• Early detection of irregularities
• Stable data acquisition in distributed and hard-to-reach environments
• Dependable decision-making foundations for everyday operations and crisis situations

In international security terminology, this is clearly part of critical infrastructure protection even if it is often perceived merely as "monitoring" in daily operations.

2. Energy Security: Transparency as a Precondition for Action

Energy security remains one of the dominant themes of the MSC and rightly so. Beyond geopolitics and supply chains, energy has become an operational risk factor for organizations and entire economies.

What is often underestimated is this:
Energy security does not begin with generation capacity or contracts – it begins with understanding actual consumption.

Across many organizations:

• Energy data is still reviewed retrospectively
• Peak loads are discovered only after costs arise
• Anomalies become visible only once they cause disruption

The IoT Energymonitor from the SMARTbox portfolio addresses this challenge at its root. It is not positioned as a classic efficiency tool but as a building block for resilience and operational security.

Through non-invasive sensor technology, it enables:

• Real-time visibility of electricity, gas, water and heat consumption
• Cross-site comparability
• Detection of anomalies and misconfigurations
• Reliable data foundations for operations, crisis response and planning

In an increasingly volatile energy landscape, transparency becomes a security prerequisite: what cannot be measured cannot be controlled and what cannot be controlled undermines resilience.

3. Distributed Assets: Why Traditional IT Reaches Its Limits

Another recurring theme at MSC 2026 is the fragmentation of systems: global supply chains, decentralized production, retail and service networks, telecom sites and geographically distributed assets.

This reality places traditional IT- and security concepts under pressure:

• IT personnel is rarely available on site
• Local networks differ widely in quality and protection
• Maintenance and operation do not scale efficiently
• Every additional system increases complexity

PSsystec responds to this environment with a deliberately different principle: IT independence as a security strategy.

SMARTbox-based solutions operate:

• Via cellular communication
• Independently of local networks
• Centrally configurable and analyzable
• Consistently across hundreds or thousands of locations

For distributed infrastructures, security is less about maximum control and more about consistent simplicity and robustness. Fewer dependencies, fewer interfaces, fewer points of failure.

In international security discussions, this aligns with the concept of resilience of distributed systems – a core element of modern security thinking.

4. IT Independence: Reducing Attack Surface, Increasing Robustness

Technological dependency is a central concern of MSC 2026. Beyond geopolitical supply chains, it also refers to systemic vulnerabilities created by complexity.

Local IT infrastructures:

• Expand attack surfaces
• Require continuous maintenance and skilled personnel
• Often fail or become inaccessible in crisis scenarios

PSsystec deliberately avoids this dependency. Solutions from the SMARTbox portfolio are designed to operate without local IT infrastructure. Data transmission is handled via secure cellular networks, with data captured directly at the source.

The result is not "more technology" but less systemic burden:

• Clear separation between office IT and operational systems
• Reduced complexity
• Higher availability in exceptional situations

In security terms: robustness through simplification.

5. Monitoring and Alarm Management: From Reaction to Preparedness

Crises rarely occur without warning. They develop through deviations, threshold breaches and emerging patterns.

A key element of modern security strategies is therefore early detection.

With solutions such as SMARTsensor and complementary monitoring and alarm packages, PSsystec enables:

• Continuous observation of critical parameters
• Automated alerts when thresholds are exceeded
• Cross-site situational awareness
• Prioritized and structured response processes

This is not military security and not cyber defense but it is operational security in everyday reality. It determines whether organizations remain capable of acting under pressure or lose control when systems become unstable.

Within the MSC framework, this marks the shift from response to preparedness.

Conclusion: Security as the Ability to Remain Operational

The Munich Security Conference 2026 makes one thing clear: security can no longer be addressed in isolated domains. It emerges at the intersection of politics, economics, technology and the day-to-day operation of real infrastructure.

PSsystec does not position itself as a traditional security provider but as an enabler of resilience through data.

Not through loud claims.
Not through geopolitical judgments.
But through systems that function where security is ultimately decided: in the field, at the asset, in daily operations.

Analog world. Digital data.
And with that, a foundation for security in the 21st century.

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