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Start » Industries » Cybersecurity in Public Sector

Keeping citizens’ integrity and privacy safe

Advenica’s solutions keeps sensitive information safe and infrastructure up and running, while catering to the public sector’s need for network availability and convergence.

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Cybersecurity in public sector

Ransomware attacks on municipalities and similar organisations are more frequent than ever. The attacks can block all computers, and thus all digital communication, with the attacker demanding a ransom to unblock them. Going without digital communication is hardly an option in today’s world, and the only way to avoid falling victim to these attacks is to work with cybersecurity in public sector in a consistent and structured way.

With digitisation, more devices are connected to the Internet – convenient, but this also increases the possible attack routes into the IT structure. At the same time, the methods used by the attackers of today are more and more refined, and the attacks today are usually targeted and well-planned.

In the public sector, a significant amount of sensitive information related to public services and administration is handled. The challenge is to protect this data from breaches that could lead to identity theft, financial loss or misuse of personal information. In addition, it is important that public confidence in the public sector is maintained.

Advenica’s solutions help these organisations protect their data and manage secure data exchange across different security domains while maintaining efficient operations. Thus, public trust is maintained and the secure delivery of public services can be ensured, a delivery that often involves personal data and critical operational data.

Regulations for actors in public sector

The NIS directive sets a range of network and information security requirements which apply to operators of essential services, and digital service providers. Since it is an EU directive, every EU member state must adopt national legislation, which follows or ‘transposes’ the directive. If your organisation provides essential services in the sectors of energy, transport, banking, financial market infrastructure, healthcare, water supply or digital infrastructure, then you are likely to be covered by the NIS directive and need to follow its rules.

The directive aims to achieve a high common level of security in networks and information systems for critical societal and digital services within the Union. This way, the internal market will be stronger and the vulnerabilities of central social services will reduce.

Data diodes

How to raise cybersecurity in public sector

We help government agencies, county councils and municipalities to protect classified information and keep their infrastructure running. Our solutions will also help you achieve compliance with GDPR, NIS and security protection legislations. Our products are used for encrypted communication and for cross-domain connectivity.

To protect sensitive systems and confidential data – Advenica Data Diodes are the failsafe way to go. The function of a data diode is to allow all data to pass in the forward direction, while blocking all data in the reverse direction. The fibre optical connection makes it physically impossible for data to travel in the opposite direction. And as it is not software, it cannot be directly attacked by malicious code, which results in high assurance. Every organisation operating sensitive information has great use of a data diode to protect its valuable information and securely exchange data.

To further reduce potential attack vectors and at the same time provide secure and selective access to the systems from remote networks, a security gateway for controlled information exchange – ZoneGuard – should be implemented. By using Advenica’s ZoneGuard with remote desktop capability, access is controlled, and threats towards a remote desktop solution are effectively mitigated in the cross domain point. All information is validated and transformed, which means that sensitive information stays within the protected network, and malicious code cannot spread.

Importing files into secure environments is another area that poses a significant security threat unless the files are properly sanitized before transfer. By using File Security Screener, a high assurance Cross Domain Solution with malware scanning and content disarm and reconstruction capabilities, efficient and automated countermeasures for malware is provided. At the same time, separation for the connected networks are secured. The File Security Screener provides an efficient, scalable, and trusted solution for secure file import.

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Things to consider when procuring IT security

Does your organisation have plans to procure your IT security? Then there are a lot of important things to think about. We give you some recommendations on what you need to do to get a successful procurement.

Step 1: Make a needs analysis

A needs analysis is a mapping of what needs the business has today and in the near future, as well as what prerequisites, requirements, conditions and timetable that apply.
With a needs analysis, you get a solid foundation that is used in dialogue with both suppliers and internal stakeholders. In addition, you can use a well-documented analysis to evaluate the entire procurement and provide answers as to whether you have achieved the goals, based on the needs.
Here are some things to consider in a needs analysis:

  • Find out what has worked well and less well with your current agreement and how the new solution will improve your business
  • Also make a list of which things that are important to you with the new solution, eg technical requirements but also things like routines around meetings etc.
  • Consider how the new solution will be handled internally
  • Remember to be open for making changes in infrastructure

 

Step 2: Send a RFI (Request for information) to the suppliers

The RFI is a written document that is sent out to potential suppliers early in the procurement process. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the market and what solutions the various suppliers can offer. The reason for handling this dialogue in writing is that it is easy to process information and make decisions before you produce the procurement document itself.

With an RFI, you can ask questions, test ideas, etc. You can for example find out how many that can deliver according to your requirements and whether your contract terms are reasonable. It is important to remember to ask the same questions to all the different suppliers and to also do a background check on the companies, both financially and in terms of competence.

Step 3: Statement of requirements

Requirements in public procurement means that you formulate your requirements that the suppliers must meet. You can use both must-requirements and should-requirements. It is the should requirements that you will evaluate each supplier on and therefore it can be good if they are weighted based on how valuable they are to you and your business.

Keep in mind that the requirements should always be based on your actual needs and be reasonable for the supplier to achieve. It is therefore important that you have done a good needs analysis and RFI that you can base it on. Also remember not to list too many requirements as each requirement costs money.

 

Step 4: The procurement document

In the procurement document you must include your needs and what the suppliers have provided in response to your questions. It should contain all the information to be able to carry out the procurement, including:

  • The conditions for carrying out the procurement
  • Requirements on the supplier
  • Requirements for the product or service
  • Terms of the agreement
  • Basis for evaluation and award criteria
  • Other things that may be important for implementation

 

Step 5: Evaluation and selection of supplier

When you have received tenders from different suppliers, it is time to evaluate them. You do this with the procurement document as a basis. The evaluation model that is usually used in public procurement is based on the following: Price, quality and the best ratio between price and quality. Something that is important after you have chosen a supplier is to draw up a plan for rollout and implementation.

 

Guide IT security procurement


Download guide with recommendations

Why should you choose Advenica as a supplier of security solutions in a procurement?

At Advenica, we have extensive experience in working with public clients. For over 30 years, we have been a reliable supplier to several national defense customers as well as other organisations with sensitive systems and digital information. This has given us extensive experience in cybersecurity and the high security segment.

Advenica was founded in 1993, and our unique products are designed, developed and manufactured in Sweden. We are a private listed company with extensive experience in security at the highest level.

Our products ensure that you can protect your digital information. This is because they ensure that networks are physically isolated at the same time as information can be connected securely. Most often, our products are part of a larger solution, but a very important part if you want to be able to protect your most important digital information. Therefore, it is important that you ensure that you include this important part!

Some things we think you should think about in your procurement are the following:

  • Is it important to have certifications such as common criteria or is a national certification important?
  • Is it important that it is a company from a trustworthy country?
  • Is it important that the company has extensive experience with security solutions?
  • Is it important that the company has a high level of knowledge about high security?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, it is Advenica you should turn to! With us you can borrow/rent products when you do your RFI with us so you can see how they work. You can also come to us in Malmö, Sweden or to our offices in Vienna and Helsinki and see how various security challenges can be solved.

Something else that we think is important that you include in your choice of supplier is security of supply, i.e. that the chosen supplier can provide a secure supply and delivery of the goods and services that are needed. With Advenica, you can be sure that you are getting a reliable supplier that can provide continuity, functionality and delivery capability for a long time!

Are you perhaps making a security-protected procurement? Not sure how to do it? We are happy to guide you through the entire process so that you can feel confident that everything is going as it should.

If you have any further questions about the procurement of IT security and Advenica’s products, please contact our knowledgeable sales representatives:

Contact Advenica
Alexander Resin

Alexander Resin

Sales Manager National Security

Björn Mogren

Björn Mogren

Executive Sales Representative

Advenica Learning Centre

Discover a world of knowledge at Advenica Learning Centre! Here you can delve into valuable resources, including insightful blog articles, real customer success stories, expert knowledge, detailed solution descriptions, practical use cases, engaging webinars, thought-provoking white papers, and step-by-step guides. Whether you are a cybersecurity enthusiast, business professional, or IT guru, our Learning Centre is your hub for staying informed and updated in the ever-changing digital landscape.

Explore, learn, and uncover the secrets to securing your digital future with Advenica!

Advenica Learning Centre

We have the cybersecurity solutions you need

What are your security challenges?

  • Do you need to import or export files between different zones?
  • Do you need to create a centralised log collection in a secure way?
  • Wondering how to securely update Windows and Linux systems?

 

Read more about how our solutions can help you with these and similar challenges!

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