In a world where cyber threats are constantly increasing, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate established the Digital Trust Center (DTC) in 2018. The DTC's mission is ambitious: to make more than 2.3 million Dutch businesses cyber resilient, from sole traders to large corporations. Manager Michel Verhagen explains how the DTC supports entrepreneurs and why this is crucial: "Last year, we alerted individual companies 140,000 times about cyber threats."
Cyber threats pose quite a challenge for Dutch companies. Unfortunately, the digital resilience of many organizations lags behind. For example, it appears that the majority of companies that became victims of ransomware had no backup(link to other website). In addition, 19% of small businesses do not take any action(link to other website) for their digital security. These are alarming numbers that call for action. DTC helps businesses become more resilient in a variety of ways.
Verhagen explains: "An important part of our activities is alerting companies through the DTC notification service. We receive daily information about vulnerable or hacked(link to other website) systems. This information is first carefully checked. If there is a concrete threat to a Dutch company, we alert that company immediately so they can take action. Thanks to our automated process, we can efficiently contribute to the cyber resilience of the Netherlands with a small team. By 2023, we will have alerted nearly 140,000 times for company-specific threats."
In addition to the notification service, the DTC also shares general information about cyber threats through various channels, including the DTC Community(link to other website). This private cyber forum shares knowledge with more than 4,000 entrepreneurs and cybersecurity professionals. Verhagen: "On this platform, practical questions can be asked but also complex discussions can be held between peers. We also share low-threshold knowledge, information and advice through other channels that entrepreneurs can use immediately. Examples include web pages with information, useful tools and quizzes, inspiring entrepreneurial stories, and awareness campaigns. We encourage partnerships in which entrepreneurs work with other organizations to increase cyber resilience, both within and between non-vital industries, sectors and regions."
What future plans and ambitions does the DTC have? Verhagen: "We are currently working hard to integrate the DTC with the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and the Computer Security Incident Response Team for Digital Service Providers (CSIRT-DSP). These three government organizations will be merged into 1 central cybersecurity organization(link to other website). The integration will be completed no later than Jan. 1, 2026. In the meantime, we are already working together as much as possible, such as by opening a joint counter(link to other website) for reports of threats and vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, in 2024 and 2025, we will continue to reach out and activate entrepreneurs."
Last May your event Digital Trust Community Event (DTCE24) took place, can we expect more meetings like this? Verhagen: "Hopefully we will! The first edition of DTCE24 was a valuable afternoon at the Prodentfabriek in Amersfoort. We had 12 substantive sessions provided by speakers from the DTC Community and plenty of opportunities to network. The 400 visitors gave us many positive reactions. This event not only increased connection and trust, but also contributed to strengthening the cyber resilience of companies."
What important cyber security tip would you like to give entrepreneurs? Verhagen: "Start with the basics. Make sure you regularly back up your most important files. Use multifactor authentication and make sure automatic updates are on. With the CyberVeilig Check(link to other website) for zzp'ers and mkb'ers you know within 5 minutes where your digital security lags and how you can improve it. Also determine what business-sensitive information, customer data and systems you need to protect. You can do this using a risk analysis(link to other website)."
