The Network Security Innovation Platform aims to help provide a more secure electronic environment for all of us to use - for work or play - an environment in which we can take full advantage of the digital economy, and use information technology and network-based services with confidence, knowing that our information is protected and secure.

UK organisations and individuals depend upon reliable and accurate electronic information to make critical decisions about almost every aspect of their business and private lives.

These critical services may, for example, manifest themselves as key information systems for transport, healthcare, financial sector communication gateways or consumer broadband connectivity. These electronic services underpin the economic well-being of the UK and may, in some cases, affect national security.

Set up in 2006, the Network Security Innovation Platform invests jointly with industry and other co-funders in research and development projects to encourage targeted UK-based R&D in information security to strengthen the relevant supply chains within the UK

The priorities

The Government's Digital Britain and Cyber Security Strategy of the United Kingdom reports, both published in 2009, set out its approach to enabling and encouraging economic growth, by making the UK a more prosperous and secure environment for both business and the individual - through stimulating innovation in the field of information risk management.

To realise this we need a step change in the production, consumption and subsequent decommissioning of information services and products. These products and services should maximise the benefits to the UK by ensuring that information risks are mitigated to acceptable levels. The Network Security Innovation Platform will play a critical role in delivering innovative programmes that will achieve the strategic vision set out by Government and is focussed on the risks of information being compromised either by:

• disclosure (confidentiality)
• unreliability (integrity)
• being unreachable (availability).

Collectively this is known as information risk.

What's next?

Digital services need to be trusted: trusted to be available, correct, and confidential when necessary. We have identified three areas around which we intend to focus activities:

• trusted services
• secure systems development and design
• converged security: ‘the internet of things'.

Alongside these initiatives we (in conjunction with CPNI) have commissioned a Secure Software Development Partnership (SSDP), which will look to develop a coherent national policy in this area. We will also be producing an ‘Information Risk Roadmap' to support implementation of the National Cyber Security Strategy.