Rehearsing for a crisis pays off: these are the lessons learnt by 97 organisations

Testing procedures in practice remains essential

During a joint debriefing session, participants shared their experiences. Recurring lessons learnt include internal communication under time pressure and the importance of adhering to the BOB method (Assessment, Evaluation, Decision-making). According to many organisations, testing procedures in practice also proves essential: plans that look sound on paper are not always immediately applicable or up to date in a crisis situation.

Recognisable and relevant scenario

Institutions participating in NOZON could choose from a sector-specific tabletop exercise. They could supplement these with institution-specific scenarios as desired. This made the exercise recognisable and directly relevant to their own practice. In the tabletop exercises, participants work through a crisis situation step by step. It is not the technical aspects but decision-making, collaboration and communication that are central to this NOZON exercise.

New: the crisis table

New this year was the crisis table methodology. This accessible discussion exercise requires less preparation than a traditional tabletop exercise, but offers rapid insight into how the organisation handles a crisis. In a short space of time, the entire crisis escalation chain is run through: are the right people at the table, is the escalation proceeding smoothly, and are actions being taken in accordance with the agreed procedures? A few institutions chose to combine both methodologies, but most participants made use of sector-specific tabletop packages.

Working together for safe education

For this edition too, we collaborated once again with Kennisnet, the organisation for education and IT in primary education, secondary education and vocational education and training. Materials and knowledge were shared, and we worked together on the preparation and evaluation. But more importantly: thanks to this exercise, the entire education sector, from primary to higher education, is better prepared for digital threats.

Practice makes the difference

The key takeaway from the NOZON weeks is this: it's all about practice. By running through realistic scenarios, organisations gain a better understanding of their strengths and where improvements are still needed.