Investments in automated cybersecurity are a prerequisite for a secure digital economy

The Netherlands is experiencing the fast-growing digitisation of processes and services and has thus achieved a strong economic position. Vital sectors such as logistics, healthcare and the manufacturing industry are transforming their business models and processes under the influence of digitisation in order to remain competitive. This growing digitisation makes the Netherlands susceptible to cyber attacks. This is particularly true in light of the fact that the techniques used by cyber criminals to break into corporate and governmental networks are becoming more and more sophisticated.

Cyber attacks are increasingly automated. The expectation for the long term is that there will not be enough trained specialists available to avert the total number of cyber-attacks in time. AI-based solutions make it possible to detect and report anomalous events in a network more quickly than any specialist and thus offer a solution to an ever more pressing problem.

The major challenge for the implementation of cyber security solutions, including those based on AI, is that data must be exchanged on a large scale and at various levels in order to be able to immediately detect and act on anomalies. An integrated, cross-sectoral approach between the public and private sectors is a prerequisite to achieving automated cybe rsecurity solutions for threat and risk analysis, decision-making and responses that will enable us to meet today’s challenges.

Commissioned by the province of South Holland, the Rotterdam-The Hague Metropolitan Area and the municipality of The Hague, the Automated Security consortium started defining the implementation programme in the South Holland region in October this year. Through the acceleration of research and knowledge development in the field of automated security, work is being done on a cyber security policy that will place South Holland at the international forefront.

In the first phase, the consortium will focus on the development of a multi-year implementation programme to develop a targeted and effective cyber security approach within a cyber security ecosystem of public and private organisations. The cyber security ecosystem is crucial for safeguarding the reliability and confidentiality of data and the continuity of ICT networks and systems of cross-sectoral application areas, such as bridges and locks in the province of South Holland. The programme will be implemented from Q2 2020 onward. The consortium will be expanded with cyber security companies and knowledge and educational institutions on the basis of the approach developed.

The partners of the province of South Holland, the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, The Hague, TNO, The Hague Security Delta, Hudson Cybertec, Compumatica Secure, Elastic and KPN will use their expertise to contribute to the development of a targeted technological cyber security approach for the coming years in order to capitalise on the digital economic opportunities that exist.