Digital Dependency

The Netherlands is among the leaders in Europe in terms of digitization. At the same time, this dependency on ICT makes the government vulnerable. Services in healthcare, safety, justice, and income provision are heavily reliant on external ICT providers. The failure of one supplier can have far-reaching consequences for society as a whole.

Vulnerability

The report concludes that government organizations are insufficiently prepared for acute and prolonged outages. Knowledge and management of ICT risks are fragmented and sometimes inadequate. Contingency options and emergency measures are lacking or insufficiently tested. Geopolitical developments increase the risks of outages. Actions by individual government organizations and the government as a whole are necessary.

State Secretary Van Marum of Interior and Kingdom Relations: “The lesson is clear: we must not only rely on technology but also be prepared when technology fails. This report shows that we must act now. If we really want to make progress, a substantial financial contribution is needed. Among other things, to build national facilities that make the government less vulnerable to ICT risks related to suppliers, geopolitical developments, and cyber. This requires a joint investment, both public and private. Citizens and businesses must be able to rely on reliable digital services from the government.”

From Report to Action

The researchers make several recommendations to strengthen digital resilience. These will be included in the action plan for digital resilience. Actions include:

  • Establishing a Competence Centre for IT sourcing.
  • Investigating the possibility of fallback facilities in emergencies.
  • Updating the national IT sourcing strategy with a central focus on explicit risk assessment.
  • Setting up central monitoring to proactively follow suppliers and market developments to intervene timely in case of imminent acute and prolonged outages of ICT services.

Interconnection

Increasing digital resilience and updating the government-wide IT sourcing strategy and consolidating purchasing power are also focal points in the Dutch Digitalization Strategy launched by the cabinet last month. The action plan aligns with the National Security Strategy and new legislation regarding resilience (Resilience Act for Critical Entities) and cybersecurity (Cybersecurity Act) that will come into effect at the end of 2025. The cabinet is thus committed to a reliable and digitally resilient government.