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The Deputy Minister of ICT, Rasoul Lotfi, described the National Information Network as the 'nation’s digital safe' rather than a tool for filtering. He emphasized its role as a philosophy for digital governance, aiming to shift focus from technology to governance.
Lotfi stated, "The National Information Network should be considered as the 'data governance infrastructure' and the guarantor of economic sustainability." The network is designed to address the challenges of 'continuous hybrid aggression,' with a focus on supply chain security and infrastructure resilience.
Progress and Challenges
Lotfi shared updates on the network's progress, estimating it at 50% to 60% completion across various dimensions. He noted that qualitative development, logical architecture, and infrastructure integration are now priorities over expanding bandwidth or coverage.
He highlighted the network's successful performance during a 12-day war. However, it revealed strategic vulnerabilities, such as dependency on international routes and gaps in digital crisis management.
Future Plans for Resilience
Lotfi detailed three missions for strengthening the network against future crises:
- Reengineering network architecture to withstand cyberattacks, internet outages, and physical threats.
- Developing short-term resilience through digital frameworks, domestic platforms, organizational coordination, and compliance committees.
- Long-term strategies focusing on localizing supply chains, investing in native cloud capacities and edge computing, and training cybersecurity specialists.
He emphasized investment priorities like creating distributed crisis-resilient data centers, deepening internal network integration with localized tools, and establishing rapid response mechanisms for emergencies.
Lotfi concluded by stressing the importance of the National Information Network as a core component of Iran’s digital resistance and national security strategy in the face of emerging cyber and economic warfare.
