Societal Security
Societal critical operations are particularly vulnerable to dependencies. Society also consists of a range of functions where the private sector has come to dominate. With deregulation, privatisation, and technological advancement, it’s within companies that the state finds the resources for societal robustness and resilience. It’s essential to understand these dependencies and vulnerabilities, as well as companies’ approaches to societal security. For instance, the direct and indirect effects of regulations on business operations, ownership structures, customer contracts, long-term views, investment bases, flexibility, and assets of value.
Today, we try to avoid critical dependencies, where functions or resources in one operation are necessary for another to function, and where no alternatives exist. Even though the state, through legislation, holds ultimate responsibility for societal security, its execution is highly decentralised to municipalities, regions, county administrative boards, and agencies. Achieving greater societal security therefore requires collaboration between public authorities and businesses, especially concerning supply assurance, delivery reliability, and business planning. This also implies new business models.
OUR OPERATIONS WITHIN SOCIETAL SECURITY
To us, security means safeguarding functions vital to our society. Societal security thus becomes a prerequisite for a security framework that provides capabilities to handle various threats, risks, and vulnerabilities.
A crucial area within societal security is the work with the civilian part of total defence. We advocate that companies’ expertise reaches the market. In collaboration with other stakeholders, we create arenas and networks for users and product and service developers for enhanced dialogue and information exchange. There are also international needs, where companies are particularly competitive.
Within the association, the Societal Security member group works on developing this field in dialogue with relevant decision-makers. Society’s safety needs to be adjusted and structured to manage peace, crises, and ultimately war.
OUR MEMBER COMPANIES
SOFF gathers suppliers with a broad scope, including civil defence (from household readiness to bomb shelters), services in continuity planning, supply chains, security protection, risk and vulnerability analyses, training exercises and consulting, as well as secure and resilient communications and countermeasures against disinformation.
Companies also offer tailored products in backup power, positioning, CCTV, sensors, protective equipment, perimeter security and access control, water purification, rescue services, secure documentation, detection like for explosives, biometrics, etc. Hence, with expertise and resources, these companies stand behind and support both public and private entities in their pursuit to create a safer and more secure society.
