BrazilENISA taps Capgemini Invent led consortium for ISAC ramp up
The European Commission has hired a consortium headed by Capgemini Invent to help facilitate the set-up of new Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs).
Europe’s ISACs are non-profit organisations that help government and private sector bodies with sharing information incidents, threats and risks that have a pan-European impact. ISACs already exist for energy, finance, railways and aviation, and now the European Commission is seeking to extend the approach into critical areas such as healthcare, maritime and water.
By improving collaboration between member states across the continent on specific topics, the European Commission believes it can enhance risk mitigation and the delivery of value to businesses and consumers. The scope of ISACs span key areas of operations, including digital strategy and information sharing protocols, but has a key focus on cybersecurity.
The move comes at a time of growing cybersecurity threats to sectors, illustrated by recent cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure such as shipping ports, energy networks and telecom networks. The ISACs share knowledge on among others tackling cyber-attacks, incident response, mitigation measures and preparatory controls.
To support setup the new ISACs, European policy makers have tapped a group of industry leaders: Intrasoft, DFN CERT, Spark Legal Network, TNO and consortium leader Capgemini Invent. The consortium is supported by the Dutch National Cyber Security Center, which is based in the Hague, and includes advisory involvement from European institutes FI-ISAC and EE-ISAC.
According to Roeland de Koning, a Principal Consultant in public security at Capgemini Invent and project coordinator of the project, members of the consortium are “well-known authorities” in the field of cybersecurity and ISACs, having previously been involved with the setup of other Information Sharing and Analysis Centers.
The main scope of the contract is to support the establishment and development of new European ISACs and to promote coordination between them. The latter will be supported by the launch of a cooperation platform and the facilitation of common procedures and standards. The programme is overseen by ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity.
