{"id":25857,"date":"2025-01-07T15:14:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T15:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hfd.phee.dev\/?p=25857"},"modified":"2025-01-08T08:13:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T08:13:22","slug":"growing-risks-digital-infrastructure-under-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hfd.phee.dev\/en\/growing-risks-digital-infrastructure-under-pressure\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Risks: Digital Infrastructure Under Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Public institutions, including universities, are increasingly the focus of cyber attacks. University management is aware of this development. At the same time, however, there is a discrepancy between the perception of the general threat situation and the threat to their own institution. What do the data tell us, and what could be done to change this? Channa van der Brug speaks with Marian Burk, responsible for the recently published <\/b>Hochschul-Barometer,<\/b><\/a> who sheds light on the matter. <\/b>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Channa van der Brug: Marian, it seems that German universities are at a critical juncture when it comes to digital infrastructure. Can you elaborate on the specific challenges they are facing?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Marian Burk:<\/strong> Our survey, which ran between July and September 2024 indeed shows some of the main challenges for German universities regarding digital infrastructure and security.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A gap between perceived cyber threat and institutional preparedness exists. <\/b>While 97.3% of university leaders recognise the threat of cyber-attacks to higher education in Germany, only 78.3% perceive this threat to their own institution. This suggests we might underestimate vulnerabilities and that there is a need for more consistent risk assessment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding to this is the <\/span>limited implementation of proactive security measures<\/b>.While the majority of universities (75.3%) regularly back up data, only about a third (29.7%) provide security training for staff. Even fewer (9.5%) provide such training for students. This is a real concern given that the use of personal devices by staff and students is recognised as a factor that adds to the complexity of IT security. The lack of awareness and training among members of the university community simply is a weakness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another notable vulnerability is the<\/span> lack of comprehensive contingency planning<\/b>. Only a little more than half (53.4%) of the universities report that they have emergency plans in place for cyber attacks. Although a third plan to develop such plans, current preparedness is worrying given the high perceived threat. In addition, the lack of a central point of responsibility for digital security at many institutions is a cause for concern (also highlighted in <\/span>this article<\/span><\/a>). With three quarters (76.5%) of the universities placing responsibility primarily on the IT department and only 32.7% assigning it to a Chief Information Officer (CIO), there is a lack of strategic focus.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text]

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\u201cWhile 97.3% of university leaders recognise the threat of cyber-attacks to higher education in Germany, only 78.3% perceive this threat to their own institution.\u201d<\/section>\n
Marian Burk<\/section>\n <\/section>[vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Beyond cybersecurity, what other digital infrastructure barriers are universities facing?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Our respondents also highlight challenges around <\/span>software adoption and collaboration<\/b>. Data protection compliance emerges as a top concern for 60.8% of universities, followed by interoperability with existing systems (48.3%).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Interestingly, there is a low prioritisation of open source solutions (12%), indicating a preference for established solutions. While this may provide a sense of stability, it could potentially limit the exploration of innovative and flexible solutions. In terms of collaboration, universities are primarily focusing on joint initiatives for software licensing (60.6%), cloud storage (48.8%) and high performance computing (39.4%). While these partnerships offer valuable opportunities to pool resources, the sources suggest that there is still untapped potential for more extensive collaboration.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

So Marian, what is the way forward? What steps can be taken to improve the situation?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

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Addressing these challenges will require a multi-faceted approach, including:<\/span><\/p>\n