National Incident Response Framework for Healthcare institutions
Since April 2026, Dutch hospitals, university medical centers, and other healthcare institutions have access to a strictly secured national cyber crisis response network via Z-CERT. Atos, Fox-IT, KPN Health, and Tesorion are partnering to bring together prevention, detection, and recovery within a single national framework.
Z-CERT, the Computer Emergency Response Team for the healthcare sector in the Netherlands, has designated Atos and Fox-IT as national Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) partners for the next four years. The expansion of the CSIRT framework ensures that healthcare institutions have access to scalable, high-quality incident response capabilities tailored to specific risks.
Through the platform, healthcare institutions can engage a CSIRT 24/7. Its partners provide immediate support in analyzing, mitigating, and recovering from cyber incidents, including digital forensic investigations and threat analyses. In addition, organizations are assisted with structural improvement programs to reduce risks. This approach helps healthcare institutions limit the impact of incidents and ensure the continuity of care processes. This is essential in a sector where digital systems are directly linked to patient care.
“Cyber incidents can have major consequences for patient care and the continuity of vital healthcare processes. By leveraging our expertise through Z-CERT, we help healthcare institutions respond quickly and effectively as soon as such incidents occur. Together with Fox-IT, we offer a nationwide safety net that allows healthcare institutions to scale up more quickly and immediately call in professional help in the event of serious cyber incidents. In this way, we contribute to a digitally autonomous and future-proof healthcare sector in the Netherlands,” said Hans Koolen, CEO of Atos Netherlands.
“Responding to large, complex cyber incidents requires a tailored approach and places a heavy strain on our incident response capacity. We are therefore pleased to announce a partnership with four Dutch cybersecurity companies. This will help us keep the Dutch healthcare sector digitally secure,” said Wim Hafkamp, director of Z-CERT.
