EU e-communications networks aren’t ready for disaster, Alcatel-L...
EU e-communications networks aren’t ready for disaster, Alcatel-Lucent said Thurs. The draft EC-commissioned study addresses reliability and robustness in Europe’s electronic communications infrastructures, offering 10 recommendations for guarding them from attack or natural hazards. Leading the list of security…
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issues: a finding that in crises the EU needs more and better coordination, more govt. involvement and responses more proportionate to critical services. EU members and the private sector should run more emergency drills and prioritize restoration procedures for critical services. In crises, certain media “are simply essential for saving lives and property,” and first responders need to be able to communicate even amid high network traffic, the report said. Govts. should require standards-based priority communications capabilities in future networks. Not enough service providers, network operators and gear suppliers have mutual aid plans, the report said, urging formal accords in the private sector so industry is ready to collaborate in crises. The EU has fine schemes for sharing infrastructure data but they are “largely underutilized as an instrument for infrastructure protection,” the study said. Industry and govts. need formal methods for sharing data, the report said, noting that although critical infrastructures are a complex “system of systems,” infrastructure protection moves at varying speeds in EU countries. Institutions and govts. should work with companies on interdependencies between the communications sector and other critical sectors. The study found strong concern about supply-chain integrity driven by 3 factors: (1) The speed of the shift to outsourcing, with potential impact on quality control. (2) Rising risks to networks from dependence on software-controlled technology. (3) Global security. EU bodies and member nations should “embark on a focused program” to promote supply-chain integrity and trust, the report said, noting that standards can affect network security. Govts. should do what they can to coordinate positions in standards development to give the EU a unified voice. Interoperability testing is at issue now, because network interface testing varies greatly among network operators, the report said. It urged development, via industry consensus, of a standardized network-to-network testing framework. “Too often, critical public-private partnerships are suffering from suboptimal health,” the report said. Suggesting that EU bodies, govts. and industry “re-invent” their approach to collaboration. The EU and member govts. should foster use of industry best practices for making e-communications networks available and robust. Feedback is due by April 30 -- infso-a3@ec.europa.eu.