KRITIS stands for “Critical Infrastructures” and refers to facilities, installations, or parts thereof that are of high importance for the functioning of society. Their failure or impairment would lead to sustained supply shortages, significant disruptions to public safety, or other serious consequences.
Energy:
For example, the supply of gas, electricity, fuels, or district heating
Water:
This includes drinking water supply and wastewater disposal
Food:
Such as the production and processing of and trade in food products
Information Technology and Telecommunications:
For example, the processing, storage, and transmission of data
Transport and Traffic:
This includes passenger transport as well as freight transport, logistics, air, road, and rail traffic, and shipping
Health:
This covers inpatient medical care, the supply of medical devices and pharmaceuticals, and laboratory diagnostics
Finance and Insurance:
From cash supply to payment transactions and insurance services
Government and Administration:
This includes government, judiciary, emergency services, and disaster protection.
In the field of information technology, KRITIS plays a special role, as IT infrastructures serve as the backbone of many critical systems. IT systems must be secure and reliable to ensure the functionality and integrity of other critical infrastructures. A failure of IT systems can have far-reaching consequences, such as production outages, supply shortages, or threats to public safety. Thus, larger data centers are also part of critical infrastructures.
