CPNI – Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure
Overview: It is important to protect people, buildings, infrastructure, data and information, and the systems that support businesses and services, from those with hostile and malicious intent, whether they use physical and/or cyberattack methods.
Robust decisions need to be made regarding when and where measures to mitigate security risks are required.
The decision-making process also needs to consider the type and extent of measures that are appropriate and proportionate to the risks, factoring in the decreasing separation between the physical and technological aspects of built environments, buildings, infrastructure and services.
Technological systems are becoming ever more sophisticated with greater levels of connectivity. They also increasingly allow cyber and physical processes to be integrated, with embedded computers and networks monitoring and controlling physical processes that in turn provide feedback to alter the computations themselves. This enables assets and services to respond to changing conditions and demands in real-time and thereby improve delivery. Such processes can be applied across a wide range of disciplines but are already being utilised in traffic management, lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and safety (fire monitoring and evacuation) systems.
Furthermore, as society has embraced technological advances, the expectation that up-to-date information will be available, and can be obtained as soon as it is required, has grown, not only from individuals but also from business, industry and trade.
