October 16, 2024: Mission Critical and BSI announced the launch of a new partnership initiative designed to strengthen the security and resilience of the 16 U.S. critical infrastructure sectors by fostering collaboration between key stakeholders to create actionable, data-driven solutions to mitigate evolving threats.
The new Critical Voices Initiative identifies that critical infrastructure stakeholders face evolving threats that can outpace stagnant resources and outdated security strategies, underscoring the benefit of enhanced communication and collaboration to ensure resilience. The partnership will see Mission Critical and BSI, the business improvement and standards company, unite these key stakeholders to share insights, measure progress, and ultimately transform collaborative discussions into actionable, achievable, and sustainable best practices, starting with the Food and Agriculture sector.
The Initiative will convene stakeholders at every level of the critical infrastructures that impact daily lives and transform their perspectives into actionable and proactive guidance. Accordingly, the research and guidance developed in each 12-month initiative will serve as the foundation for each subsequent sector-focused initiative.
Enrollment in the 2025 Critical Voices in Food and Agriculture Initiative opens October 2024 and membership meetings will be held monthly beginning January 2025.
Neil Coole, BSI Enterprise Director said: "In today’s constantly changing landscape, security is about more than defending individual organizations — it’s about fostering a network of collaboration across key infrastructure sectors. The Critical Voices Initiative, in partnership with Mission Critical, focuses on improving communication, cooperation, and coordination to counter evolving challenges. Starting with the Food and Agriculture sector, we aim to bring together stakeholders to exchange insights, track progress, and establish practices that exceed basic compliance. By tackling these challenges collectively, we have the opportunity to better prepare our critical infrastructure to handle both current and emerging risks.”
Joyce Hunter, Executive Director, Collaboration and Education, Mission Critical said: "As critical infrastructure faces a growing number of complex threats, combined with limited resources and outdated security methods, it’s evident that isolated, reactive strategies are no longer enough. Through the Critical Voices Initiative, we are encouraging collaboration between academia, industry, and government to develop data-driven, practical solutions that tackle these evolving challenges. Our initial focus on the Food and Agriculture sector is just the start, as we aim to strengthen resilience across all 16 U.S. critical infrastructure sectors. By turning communication and coordination into actionable results, we can move past minimal standards and create an active, forward-thinking defense approach that can keep up with modern risks."
About Mission Critical:
Mission Critical is a nonprofit that facilitates collaboration between academia, industry, and government to develop and disseminate proactive research that improves critical infrastructure security and resilience.
Learn more about Mission Critical, visit: mission-critical.org
About BSI:
BSI is a business improvement and standards company that partners with more than 77,500 clients globally across multiple industry sectors. BSI provides organizations with the confidence to grow by working with them to tackle society’s critical issues – from climate change to building trust in AI and everything in between - to accelerate progress towards a fair society and a sustainable world.
For over a century BSI has been recognized for having a positive impact on organizations and society, building trust and enhancing lives. Today BSI engages with a 15,000 strong global community of experts, industry and consumer groups, organizations and governments to deliver on its purpose by helping its clients fulfil theirs.
To learn more about BSI, visit: bsigroupUS.com
Media inquiries:
Hannah Craddock | hannah.craddock@bsigroup.com | 512.993.5145
