We find ourselves only at the beginning of an era of digitisation and digitalisation that will have a major impact on our society and our economy. Its potential is nearly unbridled: according to the International Federation of Robotics, some 1.3 million industrial robots were communicating and cooperating with each other in 2018. The number of end devices which interact in the Internet of Things grows by the day. Rapid technological developments and dynamic progress in the digitisation and digitalisation of all areas of life, from Smart Home to Industry 4.0, are critical factors in productivity and economic growth in Germany.

At the same time we are also seeing an increase in the quality of cyber threats: cyber attacks and IT security incidents are occurring at ever shorter intervals. Software and some hardware products have shown considerable quality deficiencies in terms of IT security. This combination of the ongoing digitalisation and new quality in cyber attacks has brought the threat landscape up to a new level. The likelihood of successful attacks on digitised business processes increases as the number of points of attack increases, communication infrastructures become increasingly complex and the amounts of data to be processed multiply. The risk of attacks from cyberspace must be considered the most significant risk that companies face in the long term.

Cyber security as a requirement for successful digitalisation

If Germany intends to maintain its strong economic position, we cannot afford to ignore cyber security. Cyber security is the prerequisite for successful digitalisation. The security architecture of computer-supported workstations and company processes must be rethought just as fundamentally as the IT security of products and services. The security of the systems used in business and by end users must be guaranteed from the outset by "security by design" and "security by default".

Protecting business and local sites

As the German authority responsible for cyber security, the BSI makes available to companies and institutions comprehensive support offerings in a targeted effort to raise the level of information security in business operations. The BSI has created successful cooperation platforms with the Alliance for Cyber Security (ACS) and the CIP Implementation Plan (UP KRITIS). These allow both small and large businesses, municipalities, institutions and organisations, and critical infrastructure operators to share information about IT security while benefitting from the expertise of the BSI and of the many other participants.

BSI additionally brings together the stakeholders in the defining topics of a digitalised future and establishes information security as the prerequisite for success in digitalisation. The BSI has driven the development of topics ranging from 5G, machine learning, the smart energy transition to quantum computing, and many more, right from the very beginning and in close cooperation with partners in government, business and society.

In its position as a business and innovation hub, Germany must be a leader in digitalisation that begins with protection: in the age of digitalisation, information security is the new 'Made in Germany' and as such is a defining factor of quality in the German economy around the world.