The processes and services that make up the vital infrastructure are the foundation on which Dutch society runs. Electricity, access to the Internet, drinking water and payment transactions are examples. Failure, disruption or manipulation of these processes and services can have major consequences for the functioning of the Dutch and European economy and society. In extreme cases, disruption can even threaten national security. That is why governments, organizations and intelligence and security services are constantly working together to protect our vital infrastructure.
Protecting vital processes
It is important to protect critical infrastructure from all kinds of threats. This task is becoming increasingly complex due to the changing and varied threat landscape. Think for example of terrorist attacks or cyber attacks, but also natural disasters, espionage or foreign takeovers of Dutch vital providers can pose a threat.
In addition, the potential impact of threats is increasing because vital processes are increasingly acquiring each other. A disruption of one vital process can quickly have major effects on other vital processes, an entire sector or even national security. In a flood, for example, power outages can impact parts of the Internet or hospitals and households.
The connectedness of vital infrastructure offers great advantages, for example in terms of cooperation and information sharing. But the interdependence of vital processes can also entail risks. It is therefore important to continue to strengthen the resilience of the vital infrastructure as a whole. This is how we turn our connectedness into a strength.
