The most significant new risk for businesses and governments is related to cyber security (NCSC, 2018). The formation of public-private partnerships (PPP) is perhaps the optimal way to facilitate...Show moreThe most significant new risk for businesses and governments is related to cyber security (NCSC, 2018). The formation of public-private partnerships (PPP) is perhaps the optimal way to facilitate collaboration between the parties. The purpose of this qualitative study is to shed light on the Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) for the cyber security of the critical infrastructure in the Netherlands, specifically the energy sector. To construct this thesis, the research question “To what extent could the Energy-ISAC be considered effective in supporting the state for cyber securing the Dutch Critical Infrastructure in the energy sector?” is used. Before assessing the efficacy of the Energy-ISAC, it is first determined what kind of PPP the Energy-ISAC is. Van Montfort et al. (2012) classified three types of PPPs, the alliance, concessions, and improvisation model. Moreover, the four problems of PPPs by Dunn-Cavelty and Suter (2009) are used to discover any shortcomings of the Energy-ISAC. As for the analysis, the alliance model is found most applicable to the Energy-ISAC due to the presence of a horizontal hierarchy and mutual dependency (Vos et al., 2017). Furthermore, the application of the public-private partnership of the energy-ISAC assures that there are very few to no adverse consequences currently. However, a contradiction between the logic of security and the logic of PPP, is an exception to this rule and evident in the energy-ISAC (Dunn-Cavelty & Suter, 2009). This study sheds light on the Dutch strategy to assuring cybersecurity in a critical industry, notably, the energy-ISAC, which has never been presented in studies yet. Moreover, by evaluating how effective the Dutch cyber security public-private partnership is in the energy sector, the Netherlands may strengthen their ability to withstand the effects of potential dangers, therefore improving their overall level of safety.Show less
