SANS Executive Cyber Exercise in Partnership with the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB)

It was an exciting week in Brussels as the SANS Executive Cyber Exercise (ECE) Team partnered with the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) to deliver an immersive exercise for more than 200 CISOs and Cyber Leaders.

What is an ECE?

SANS ECEs are highly interactive, scenario-driven simulations designed for senior leaders and board members. Unlike technical drills, these exercises focus on challenges in decision-making, communication, and leadership that arise during major cyber incidents. Participants navigate realistic, high-pressure environments where their choices shape the outcome, mirroring how a real-world breach might unfold.

The goal of the exercise is to strengthen the ability of leadership teams to make informed, timely decisions under pressure, and to foster collaboration between technical and non-technical leaders during crises.

Working Alongside the CCB

Working alongside the CCB made this programme especially valuable. The CCB plays a central role in protecting Belgium’s digital infrastructure and offers services that help organisations prepare for, detect, and recover from cyberattacks. By running these exercises in partnership, leaders gained first-hand insight into how to collaborate with national authorities and leverage the CCB’s expertise and capabilities during a crisis.

Strengthening the Partnership

This collaboration reflects the strong and growing relationship between SANS and the CCB. Together, we share a mission to elevate cybersecurity resilience across both the public and private sectors in Belgium and beyond.

NIS2 and European Resilience

The timing of this programme is particularly relevant as the European Union continues to implement the NIS2 Directive. NIS2 raises the bar for cybersecurity governance, risk management, and incident response, placing greater responsibility on executives and boards.

Exercises like these directly support the objectives of NIS2 by enabling leaders to test and refine their crisis response capabilities, to validate reporting procedures, and to strengthen coordination between critical sectors and national authorities.

Building True Resilience Together

The key takeaway? No organisation can stand alone in today’s cyber landscape. Practising response together across borders and industries, in collaboration with trusted public-sector partners, is how true resilience is built.

We are grateful to all the leaders who leaned in, asked tough questions, and walked away better prepared to lead through the next cyber crisis.