Time to read: 3 minutes.

I have had the privelage of studying abroad for the last few weeks in Greece and have found it incredibly interesting what the IT infrastructure looks like compared to the US. Being relatively new to the IT world, I still have a lot to learn, but the differences between the US and Greece in IT solutions is impossible to miss, even for an amateur like me.

The most glaring issue is the prevalence of unprotected networks. “Cafe culture” is very prevalent all across Europe, sitting down for a coffee or small meal for long periods of time. In most cases, it’s actually considered strange to order coffee and walk away with it. Because of the long hours spent at cafes and restaurants many establishments offer Wi-Fi and other network access free of charge. This has led to a spike in identity theft and fraud, especially with the advent of mobile banking, many customers may check their credit card app or bank account before paying to ensure they have the funds, or just to stay updated while they spend their hours drinking coffee, this allows for anyone with malicious intent to easily access and steal passwords without the owner knowing. Obviously, this same thing can happen in the US with public Wi-Fi however, even “protected” networks like the one at my hotel have very weak security and are easily breached.

What about non-tourist or service type establishments? There is a severe lack of non-service or tourist industry related business in Greece, at least compared to the US. The largest portion of their economy is based on agriculture and the technological sector shows it. However, over the past 5 years Greece has shown a steady growth in the IT sector largely due to US investment, particularly with IT hardware. There has been a particular spike in PC and Tablet hardware for companies in Greece, especially with COVID becoming a catalyst for all things virtual. With Greece re-emerging from its financial crisis in 2010, the market shows a lot of potential, waiting to be tapped for IT service providers to come in and offer secure, sustainable, and reliable networks and IT solutions to the Greek state and the people of Greece as a whole.