Finland is known internationally as a model country for preparedness and first-class expert in security of supply. Still, our country has a development backlog in digital security of supply. Why is this the case?
Digital security of supply as a whole is a new, very broad concept that has only recently entered Finnish public debate and general awareness to this extent.
However, the situation has changed.
Digital supply security represents a new dimension in society’s operational landscape, where the traditional concept of supply security is extended to include digital environments.
With the recent changes in geopolitics, our operating environment, threats and requirements related to security of supply have changed significantly and very rapidly. The war in Ukraine has heightened the urgency of addressing the digital supply security backlog, making it an issue that must be tackled today, not tomorrow.
What should we know to do differently?
From material preparedness towards the management of the digital security of supply
In Finland, the machinery for operating in emergency conditions has been built largely for the pre-digital operating environment. This development has causes that are familiar to us through our national history. We readily associate the term security of supply with physical and traditional aspects of preparedness, such as non-perishable foods, torches, batteries, medicines and water canisters.
However, digital security of supply cannot be measured and stored in the same way as traditional supplies can be. The digital security of supply is stored in people, operating methods, active cooperation between different actors and continuous development.
The digital security of supply is stored in people: in shared ways of thinking, operating methods and in the active cooperation and continuous development.
In the context of security of supply as a whole, the production, logistics and availability of physical things form long digital chains. These chains concern numerous operators. In plain English: digital systems that function reliably also in exceptional circumstances are needed for the security of supply to work in the physical world. For example, they are needed for potatoes to move from fields to the emergency storage and from there to people’s kitchens.
Finland’s digital security of supply needs an upgrade – and big investments
Taking the digital security of supply to the next level will require a lot from us as a society.
The first thing we need is a bold, forward-looking attitude and systematic collaboration aimed at societal impact.
A great example of such a new kind of discussion bringing together private and public resources was seen on the stage of the Great Security Day at the SuomiAreena Democracy Festival in June. I was joined to discuss the supply security by Janne Känkänen, Chief Executive Officer for the National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA); Hanna Kivelä, CEO of Fujitsu Finland and Chair of Digipooli; Anssi Kärkkäinen, Director General of the Cybersecurity Centre at Traficom; and Peter Sund, CEO of Finnish Information Security Cluster (FISC) under the Technology Industries of Finland.
If you did not attend the event, you can watch a recording (FI) made of this important societal discussion. I would like to thank everyone on the stage with me for this bold, forward-looking and valuable exchange of ideas!
Secondly, the upgrade of the digital security of supply must be continued by tackling its development backlog. This backlog has been investigated by parties such as the Technology Industries of Finland and the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The estimated need for total investment is staggering — between one and two billion euros. The list of areas of development will include at least the level of cyber security, the challenges brought by outdated technology, cyber risk management and the unnecessary complexity of digital environments.
The list of areas of development in digital security of supply will include at least the level of cyber security and cyber risk management, challenges related to outdated technology and the unnecessary complexity of digital environments.
Harnessing critical thinking and a development-oriented mindset to enhance Finland’s digital security of supply
In terms of the development of digital security of supply, the special skill that Finns possess is the ability and tendency to think critically in a positive way. We demand a lot of ourselves. Typically, we have an innate desire to develop the way we operate.
Resilience in the face of disturbances and emergencies is based on our collective actions, because unfortunately, there is no panacea that would instantly fix the backlog in the development of our digital security of supply.
Our society’s structures and services are built on digitalisation in both normal and emergency conditions. When we want to protect our society against interference or attacks, we need to have an in-depth understanding not only of digital dependencies, but also of their complexity. The better we are able to ensure the smooth running of our day-to-day lives even during emergencies, the more resilient we are as a society.
Leadership in the digital security of supply as a shared goal
Even though we have identified a digital security gap in our security of supply development efforts, it does not mean we have fallen short in our emergency preparedness over the past decades. It is more that we are trying to hit a moving target. The world around us has changed drastically and perhaps permanently. We must respond to the threats that surround us today and also in the future.
At the level of the EU, Finland has been proven to be a forerunner in numerous areas of digitalisation. It is high time that we lead the way at the European and NATO level in building digital security of supply and sustainable preparedness across the board.
Expertise in digital security of supply could even become a future export product and a significant new business opportunity for Finnish companies.
