Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport Launched

On 7 October, the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport was launched. This Centre, initiated by ten organisations, is designed to ensure a digitally secure horticulture cluster. Starting today, companies from across the sector, including supply, cultivation & trade, can join this Cyber Resilience Centre. These companies will be provided with various services that help them enhance their cybersecurity, including practical advice, tools, help from cybersecurity experts, and threat intelligence. To  get access to cyber threat intel, Connect2Trust and the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport have entered into a close collaboration in november 2022.

The official launch of the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport took place at the HSD Campus in The Hague. During the kick-off, the website www.cwgreenport.nl was launched in the presence of the ten initiators and the Greenboard of Greenport West-Holland. Following this, these organisations were able to experience a simulated cyber crisis. During this special exercise, participants gained insight into the various aspects involved in such a crisis and learned how best to prepare for it. Through this simulation, the initiators and the Greenboard members explored best practices for cyber crises, including when to call in external help, how to communicate with employees and the outside world, when to pay ransom and how to get the organisation back on track as soon as possible.

In addition, members of the Greenboard (the partners of Greenport West-Holland) signed a declaration of support in which they agreed to jointly strengthen the Cyber Resilience Centre in the coming years.

Meindert Stolk, Regional Minister Agriculture and Horticulture (Province of South-Holland) and chairman of Greenport West-Holland: “Collaboration in supply chains is paying off. By being aware of digital opportunities and threats, not only for yourself but also for the entire chain of suppliers and buyers, we can strengthen each other. Unfortunately, cybercrime often occurs. The province of South-Holland, together with the Greenport and its partners, is making a strong case for a secure digital economy.”

Security within the chain

Through increasing digitalisation of horticulture and the rise of Internet of Things, more and more entrepreneurs within the horticulture cluster are facing cyber incidents. The consequences for entrepreneurs are diverse and range from paying ransom to regain access to their own business network, to the failure of control systems which endangers business continuity. Due to the complex chain dependency of the greenhouse horticulture cluster (supply, cultivation, trade) the entire sector suffers when chain partners cannot deliver due to a cyber incident. The chain is literally as strong as its weakest link. As mutual data exchange increases, the vulnerability of the chain increases when one of the chain partners is attacked by a cyber incident.

Bert Feskens, programme manager of the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport: “Increasing digital security therefore requires a chain approach. With the cyber resilience centre, we want companies to work together on solutions and help them with concrete tools and advice to defend themselves against cyber criminals.”

About Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport

The services of the Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport include helping participants with guidance and practical advice, giving them direct access to cyber security experts, providing up-to-date and relevant (threat) information, raising awareness about digital security within the horticulture cluster and facilitating the sharing of knowledge and networking. More information can be found at: www.cwgreenport.nl

André van der Linden, CIO at Royal FloraHolland: “Digitisation of the floriculture sector is high on our agenda. With digitisation, we connect the chain which brings enormous opportunities and possibilities, but also places higher demands on digital security. To become more resilient as a sector against digital crime, we need everyone’s commitment. Only together will we ensure a digitally safe floriculture sector.”

Initiators

The Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport is an initiative of Delphy, Dutch Fresh Port, Royal FloraHolland, Glastuinbouw Nederland, Greenport West-Holland, GroentenFruit Huis, Hoogendoorn Automatisering, Interpolis-Achmea, Security Delta (HSD), het Digital Trust Center, The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Provincie Zuid-Holland and the city of The Hague (Kansen voor West II).

Visit: www.cwgreenport.nl

Photos: Cyber Resilience Centre Greenport/ Simon Metselaar

Did you know that HSD executes multiple programmes in the field of cyber security & cyber resilience? Within these programmes we take the role of accelerating collaboration in cybersecurity by creating an ecosystem of companies, knowledge institutions and governments in which knowledge is shared, joint security solutions are developed, and experiences are actively exchanged. Our aim is to strengthen the competency level of:

1) SMEs, so that they are more aware of the risks and can better prepare their organisations

2) IT professionals who often still do not focus on robust cybersecurity

3) Cybersecurity professionals.

Amongst the programmes are OT Security, Cybercrime/BEC Fraud, ikhebcyberkracht.nl, and the Sectoral approach Cyber Resilience.