Cyber security needs continuous development

In accordance with the Security Strategy for Society, the Ministry of Transport and Communications is in charge of ensuring the security and operational reliability of transport and communications network in Finland.

The achievement of these targets was really put to the test when more than one million Finns started working remotely in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Relative to the population and compared to other European countries, the transition to remote working was highest in Finland.

Finland's communications networks withstood the transition excellently and the capacity of the networks has proved sufficient. This has been made possible by up-to-date legislation and long-term preparedness cooperation between the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency and the telecommunications operators providing services.

The information and cyber security of communications networks and services is crucial to the reliability of a digitalised society and, therefore, these aspects require relentless development.

The need to improve cyber security has been constantly highlighted by increasingly frequent cyber security disruptions. Although the standard of cyber security is generally at a very high level in Finland, Finnish companies are plagued by data leaks up to three times more often than in the EU on average. The main reason for this is in the organisations’ failure to focus sufficiently on information security. The seriousness of the matter became evident in the 2020 Digibarometer, and unfortunately we have also seen the results of these failures in the past year.

In response to the need for improvement, the Government has now provided guidance for the development of cyber security in its recent Government Resolution.

The cyber security development programme steers the long-term cyber security development on a concrete level across industry boundaries. Its aim is to bring the cyber security skills of companies and citizens to a good level and to produce a strong pool of Finnish cyber security specialists. In addition to expertise, the aim is to strengthen cooperation between different actors, improve operational capacity and boost growth in the Finnish cyber security industry.

A high level of cyber security can be achieved if cyber security is understood as an integral part of the activities and social responsibility of every organisation and individual. A strong cyber security environment improves the sustainability of the digital society, delivers growth, increases well-being and public confidence in digital services.

Rauli Paananen
The writer is the National Cyber Security Director at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Press releases 10 June, 2021:
Cyber Security Development Programme: Higher level of cyber security brings growth and jobs
Minister Harakka: Contributions to information security and data protection in critical sectors of society are an investment in the future