Robust Real-time Information Infrastructures

Reliable and secure communication is at the heart of well being and delivery of critical services in today’s society, making power grids, financial services, transportation, government and defence highly dependent on ICT networks. Regional and national emergencies are characterised by their devastating effect on human lives and the society’s ability to function. Unfortunately, rescue operations and the possibility to re-establish a working society after a disaster is often hampered by the lack of functioning communication infrastructures. While creation of new communication networks to support post-disaster operations is important, it is also relevant to study the nature of the next generation information infrastructures in terms of challenges and opportunities they bring to protection of existing critical infrastructures. A recent analysis [5] reveals that while there are some common concerns there are also fundamental differences in the two areas in question. ∗The author wishes to thank Mikael Asplund for input arising from cooperation projects, and John Sigholm for input on military requirements.