Data joins water and energy as Critical National Infrastructure

The Government last week designated data infrastructure in the UK as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).

In a statement to the House of Commons, data protection and telecoms minister Chris Bryant said the physical data centres and cloud infrastructure which provide the foundations of the digital economy face significant risks and challenges, including cyber and physical attacks and climate change impacts such as flooding. Designation will elevate the issue, give the government greater visibility and enable it to provide more support. Energy and water, as other CNI sectors, will need to work with the data sector in cross sector planning.

The government added that it would also explore how to ensure the right conditions are in place to drive the expansion of data capacity to support economic growth and innovation.