The mass digitization of the economy and public administration is placing data centers at the center of the critical infrastructure of any country. They are no longer just the backbone of large tech companies or streaming platforms: they are the true heart of financial, health, energy, industrial, and governmental operations. Therefore, now more than ever, the protection and resilience of data centers must be an absolute priority in the national security strategy.
The Paradigm Shift: From IT Risk to National Risk
Until recently, the security of data centers was primarily seen as a technical and business challenge: protecting systems against cyberattacks, ensuring availability, or maintaining operational continuity in the face of physical disasters. However, the current landscape is radically different. Threats to data centers have the potential to paralyze essential services and jeopardize national sovereignty.
The recent increase in sophisticated attacks, both ransomware and state-sponsored cyber espionage, highlights that cloud infrastructure and data centers are prime targets for malicious actors. Just recall the impact of attacks on hospitals, municipal services, or major cloud providers to understand the scale of the risk.
According to ENISA, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, attacks on critical infrastructure increased by over 20% in just 2024, affecting sectors such as health, energy, and transportation, as well as strategic data centers. At the same time, the European directive NIS2 broadens the focus of protection to cloud providers, data centers, and digital service operators.
Data Centers: The New Critical Infrastructure
The dependence on data centers is so profound that a single incident can cause the collapse of financial services, unavailability of medical records, or blockage of logistical operations on a national scale. Furthermore, data centers increasingly concentrate sensitive information and computational resources for artificial intelligence, defense, research, or industrial control.
That’s why governments are beginning to equate data centers to critical infrastructures like electricity and water systems. France, Germany, Spain, and other countries have updated their regulatory frameworks to demand higher standards of physical, logical, and business continuity security in data centers.
Digital Sovereignty and Geostrategy
Technological geostrategy has become a key element: the location of data centers and control over the data and systems they host is now a matter of sovereignty. The rise of artificial intelligence and the need to ensure that sensitive data remains under national or European jurisdiction are driving projects like GAIA-X and the proliferation of sovereign cloud in Europe.
Moreover, the war in Ukraine, technological sanctions, and risks of supply chain disruption have underscored the importance of having robust, distributed, and protected data centers, as well as reducing dependence on foreign actors.
Key Elements for a National Protection Strategy
What does it mean to place data centers at the center of national security?
- Classification and Oversight: Define which data centers are strategic, audit their resilience, and ensure they meet the highest standards (ISO 27001, TIER III-IV, ENS, NIS2).
- Public-Private Collaboration: Create agile cooperation channels between operators, cloud providers, security bodies, and regulatory authorities.
- Investment in Advanced Cybersecurity: Adopt solutions for active protection, early threat detection, network segmentation, and incident response plans.
- Deployment of Distributed Infrastructures: Promote geographic redundancy and interconnection of data centers to ensure operational continuity.
- Training and Awareness: Develop national capabilities in cybersecurity, both in the public and private sectors.
Conclusion: A Shared Responsibility
Transforming the protection of data centers into a pillar of national security is already a strategic necessity, not just a recommendation. The digital resilience of a country depends on the strength, independence, and recovery capacity of its data infrastructure. Governments, tech companies, and data center operators must work together to secure the digital heart of our society.
The future will be increasingly digital, and the security of data centers will ultimately determine the security of all.