“Mistakes can happen to anyone; what matters is how we respond.”
Last year, the Basic Digital Resilience Training was developed for all Dutch central government employees to strengthen digital resilience.
Priority 5 – Increasing the government’s digital resilience and autonomy
The Netherlands is one of the most digitalised countries in the world. This is both a strength and a risk. Cyber attacks, disruptions and over-reliance on a limited number of technology companies threaten security and digital open strategic autonomy. If government systems experience outages or stop working as intended, citizens and entrepreneurs can find themselves in trouble.
Dutch House of Representatives approves Cbw and Wwke
With the adoption of these legislative proposals, the Netherlands takes a vital step in strengthening both digital and physical resilience against growing threats.
Guidelines to help local councillors tackle online crime
The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG) has launched a practical resource to help local councillors embed digital resilience in municipal policy.
Real-world example: autonomous digital workplace
Municipalities are exploring the potential of the autonomous digital workplace. This ‘Mijn Bureau’ case study demonstrates technical feasibility and key considerations.
Pilot blocks more than 2 million phishing attempts
91% of cyberattacks start with phishing. Public and private partners have launched and tested the Anti-Phishing Shield pilot, which has proven quite effective.
Municipalities explore autonomous digital workplaces
4 municipalities and the VNG are participating in a Linux-based workplace pilot and the shared MijnBureau environment, aiming for digital autonomy.
The Netherlands must take control of its digital future
Sovereignty is a broad concept that still prompts many questions. For instance, if a Dutch data centre operates on foreign hardware, is it truly sovereign? This question, and many others, were examined at the iBestuur Sovereignty & Government Conference in Amsterdam.
“The focus is no longer on why, but on how”
In this interview, Maarten Jonker, chair of the NDS acceleration team on increasing the government’s digital resilience and autonomy, stresses the need for action.
BIO2 version 1.3 available for all government tiers
BIO2 version 1.3 replaces earlier editions and aligns more closely with the Cyberbeveiligingswet (Cbw), which implements the NIS2 Directive into Dutch law.
“Privacy doesn’t stop at the border, we need to work together”
How can we sustainably strengthen privacy and digital resilience across the Kingdom? This was the key question at the symposium Borderless Digital Data and Privacy.
Consultation on cyber threat information standards
The Dutch Standardisation Forum has launched an online consultation on making updated standards for sharing cyber threat information mandatory across government.
“You can’t prevent a crisis, but you can learn to manage it”
Aart Jochem has led the national approach to information security and privacy since 2020 as CISO. As he steps down on 1 January 2026, he reflects on his time in office.
