David Tudehope, the CEO of Macquarie Telecom Group said: "The COVID-19 pandemic and sudden lockdowns have highlighted the economy’s dependence on telecommunications and data services, and Australians’ expectation that these services will be accessible even in the worst of circumstances," said
“But the lockdowns also highlighted that these industries were not actually officially recognised as being essential or critical to the functioning of society.”
“This new legislation will rectify this as it recognises the infrastructure that enables our digital economy to function as critical infrastructure that needs to be secured from all hazards just as our water, energy and other vital national assets are.”
Tudehope continued, stating: “As a provider of cloud, data centre and telecommunications services to governments and businesses, we understand the risks to data security and networks.
“These risks are significant and underscore the importance of a comprehensive approach to national security. Securing government and critical business data involves more than just protecting the physical infrastructure from unauthorised access. It requires stringent compliance with internationally recognised standards and the application of best-in-class technology and operational frameworks.”
While welcoming the new framework, Macquarie says it "believes that the new security expectations in relation to critical business data should apply more generally across all critical infrastructure sectors".
Tudehope concluded: “A critical infrastructure operator’s data should be treated as a critical asset regardless of whether it is kept inhouse, hosted by a third-party cloud or data centre, or located offshore. It should be subject to the same security expectations and standards regardless of who is storing it or where it is located".
