Elevating trusted digital governance in the AI era

On July 10, more than 50 government leaders, policymakers and technologists gathered at the Conrad Athens for the Citrix Executive Forum on Digital Governance hosted by MiCloudSW, Citrix’s strategic partner across Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and an affiliate of Midis Group. The question on the table: how does a country move fast on AI while building the secure foundations that public trust depends on?

On the day of the event, the ensuing conversations reinforced a shared vision that AI innovation and cybersecurity must advance together to create lasting value for customers. The shift from the traditional laptop to intelligent AI agents is shaping a new model of work, in line with the strategy presented at the Citrix Executive Leadership Forum.

Modernizing the existing installed technology base securely, without disruption, is real work for any government IT function — and the forum’s conversations kept returning to the same theme: AI innovation and cybersecurity have to advance together.

AI as collaborator, not disruptor

In his presentation, Pierpaolo Taliento (GM, EEMEA, MiCloud Software) framed artificial intelligence as a collaborator, noting that AI agents will adhere to each organization’s strict cybersecurity protocols. He compared it to the arrival of electricity, explaining how the value of a new technology multiplies when it’s embedded directly into where and how people work. This approach doesn’t require a full overhaul of a company’s core, but it does change how we securely access data.

Citrix continues to demonstrate its long-term commitment to the Greek market through sustained investment and innovation. As highlighted by Vicky Rentzepi, Director of Sales & COO, MiCloud Software EEMEA, the company has maintained a strong R&D (Research & Development) presence in Patras since 2012, following the acquisition of Bytemobile. Rentzepi emphasized that strategic local partnerships play a vital role in fostering innovation, enabling Citrix to leverage regional expertise while contributing to the growth of Greece’s technology ecosystem.

Managing ageing equipment remains a key issue for digital transformation in the government sector

Worldwide, 448 million computers are still running Windows 10 – an operating system that was no longer supported after October 2025. In Greece, around 22% of desktop computers are still relying on Windows 10 (Statcounter – Global Stats).

Francois van Deventer (Director & CTO – Emerging Markets – Eastern Europe | Turkey | Middle East | Africa, Cloud Software Group) and Fanny Kofina (Principal Account Technology Strategist at Citrix – Cloud Software Group) highlighted the Unicon OS solution acquired from Citrix in January 2025 that could be an answer to keeping older machines working sustainably.

Unicon OS was acquired by Citrix in January 2025, as a solution for extending the life of aging PCs. By repurposing older machines as secure virtual desktop access points, the lightweight operating system helps organizations modernize user experiences without investing in large-scale hardware refreshes.

Real-world organizations in Greece validated how centralized, secure management works in practice. Vangelis Dimas outlined the transformation of the National Cadastre – Greece’s modern digital property registry cut service points from 400 to 100, while infrastructure is now centrally managed by just ‘1.5 people’ in the IT department. In the same spirit, Thanasis Zygomitros from EYDAP explained how a small team supports 500 concurrent users through Virtual Apps, rolling out disaster-recovery solutions on Azure and keeping a constant watch using the UberAgent tool. EYDAP (the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company) is Greece’s largest water utility.

Challenges for the Greek Ecosystem

Despite rapid technological advances, many people still lack basic digital skills, creating a significant barrier to innovation, productivity and growth. Giota Paparidou is President of the Board of Directors for SEPE (the Federation of Hellenic ICT Enterprises in Greece) – she highlighted the major issue of outdated equipment in the public sector and cautioned about the pressures facing small and medium-sized businesses, which make up 94% of the Greek market. Since many can’t absorb additional costs for digital infrastructure, it’s increasingly critical for strategic partners to provide centralized, secure solutions.

Technology advances are driving immediate structural shifts, making investment in reskilling essential. Unemployment has dropped to 8.1%, with 563,000 people finding work compared with 2019, while the return of 473,000 Greeks through targeted incentives is strengthening the workforce.

Government leading from the front

The Ministry of Labor is leveraging artificial intelligence, with Minister Niki Kerameus focusing on the JOBmatch app. This is an innovative app and platform commissioned by Greece’s Public Employment Service (DYPA), designed to directly connect job seekers with businesses in the tourism, hospitality, and food & beverage sectors. The app has now completed more than 100,000 job matches in the tourism and food service sectors. At the same time, the digitization of 153 million handwritten social-security stamp cards is nearing completion, with machine learning speeding up pension processing.

Virginia Kokios, Legal Advisor at the Special Secretariat for Long-Term Planning, underscored the need to design systems with data control at the core, marking the shift toward AI-Augmented Government. As the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation (AI Act) is gradually moving into full effect, adoption of AI tools – which in Greek businesses stands at just 8.9% – must follow the principle of compliance by design, building in cybersecurity from day one.

Her presentation highlighted that the future of Artificial Intelligence is not only about the adoption of new technologies, but also about creating the necessary conditions for their safe, reliable and responsible use, focusing on trust, data governance and digital sovereignty.

More about MiCloudSW Ltd (Citrix)

MiCloudSW Ltd. (an Affiliate of Midis Group) is Cloud Software Group’s Strategic Partner for the majority of Africa, Eastern Europe and Middle East. A leading technology partner providing managed IT services and consultancy, system integration, cloud and data center capabilities, infrastructure, software, and hardware solutions, the Midis Group serves customers through a network of 170 companies across 70 countries.

This expansive network, coupled with the in-territory skills and support infrastructure within the Midis Group, will ensure partners and customers get the backing needed to define and implement superior technology deployments. Regional resellers and distributors in these territories will get fast and easy access to their Cloud Software Group products (the majority of the Citrix and TIBCO solutions), through MiCloudSW, benefiting from its extensive local market knowledge, expertise, and in-country resources. Find out more here