As our dependence on digital infrastructure deepens, the Marconi Society’s Internet Resilience Institute is working to spark collaboration and insight that can help strengthen the Internet for everyone. Over the past year, our mission—to redefine and elevate Internet resilience—has taken shape through high-impact engagements, expert convenings, and strategic partnerships.
Step by step, the conversation is gaining traction. From our groundbreaking 2024 Internet Resilience Workshop in Washington, DC, to a successful Internet Governance Forum (IGF) session, we have helped shift resilience from the periphery to the heart of global digital policy. Our June IGF workshop in Norway served as a key turning point, making clear that the Internet’s fragility is a societal risk, not just a technical one. It brought new urgency and visibility to the need for cross-sectoral coordination, proactive investment, and better mapping of interdependencies across infrastructure.
We also brought the conversation to Geneva, where Maarten Botterman, a member of the Marconi Society Advisory Council, spoke at the WSIS+20 High-Level Forum during the Resilient Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future session, led by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). His intervention highlighted the critical—and often overlooked—interlinkages between the Internet and broader digital sectors, particularly the mutual dependence between energy and connectivity. As the Internet cannot function without power, and modern energy systems rely heavily on digital infrastructure, disruptions in one domain can rapidly destabilize the other. This underscores the urgent need for coherence across global resilience efforts and integrated planning between sectors.
And in July, the IR Institute’s Global Briefing reaffirmed what we have heard from leaders across sectors: resilience is no longer about bouncing back from failure—it’s about anticipating it, designing for it, and working across boundaries to prevent it. A keynote presentation from Jeff Simmons, SVP & GM at Toshiba, underscored this point by highlighting the critical role of balanced and secure power supply systems in supporting data-centre infrastructure. His remarks reinforced the need to treat resilience as a shared responsibility across digital and energy domains, built into infrastructure from the ground up.
This November marks an important milestone in our ongoing journey, as we convene a series of events designed to strengthen cross-sectoral dialogue, advance practical solutions, and spotlight innovation in the resilience space.
Join us in Los Angeles for a three-part experience that will shape the future work of the Internet Resilience Institute of the Marconi Society:
November 13 – Internet Resilience Experts Workshop hosted at ICANN
Last fall, the Marconi Society brought together over 30 global experts to examine critical challenges facing Internet infrastructure resilience. A key insight was identified: Internet resilience is no longer simply about recovering from failures; it is about designing systems that can withstand and adapt to disruption.
ICANN headquarters will welcome a strategic group of global experts to develop concrete recommendations for improving system-wide Internet resilience. This high-level, closed-door session will operate under Chatham House Rule and focus on two active IR Institute workstreams: Supply Chain Mapping and Hyperscaler Engagement.
November 14 – Internet Resilience Forum at UCLA’s Luskin Center
The by-invitation-only IR Forum offers executives and thought leaders an opportunity to co-create actionable solutions for a more resilient digital future. As Internet resilience is redefined to mean adaptability, not just recoverability, the IR Forum provides a unique space for experts to discuss what resilience means in a hyperconnected, interdependent world—and why it demands cooperation across digital infrastructure, hyperscalers, cloud, energy, and transport.
November 14 – Marconi Awards Gala Evening Celebration
The night will conclude with celebration and inspiration, honoring a remarkable cohort of innovators at the forefront of technology and resilience. Expect brilliant minds, and the kind of energy only the Marconi Society community can generate.
From mapping the Internet’s invisible supply chains to reshaping resilience as a shared global priority, we are proud to be building not just networks, but a movement.
This November, come connect with a growing global community committed to making the Internet stronger, smarter, and more resilient for all.
Call For Action
To learn more about the IR Institute or how to apply to its Supply Chain Mapping Working Group and Hyperscalers Engagement Working Group, we invite you to contact Marina Pappas, IR Institute Director, at mpappas@marconisociety.org.
As a nonprofit organization, the Internet Resilience Institute’s work is made possible by the generous support of individuals and companies who believe in the importance of our mission. If our work inspires you and you would like to support or get involved, we invite you to contact Flora Tromelin, Vice President for International Engagement, at ftromelin@marconisociety.org.
