Enhanced Core Implemented in Public Sector Network
The UK government's Public Sector Network (PSN), a network of networks, is undergoing a significant transformation. At its core, the final form of the PSN will feature a hardened core, a dedicated infrastructure designed to ensure IT and communication services can be maintained during catastrophes or natural disasters.
John Stubley, the program director of the PSN project, has revealed that the hardened core will consist of dedicated lines, offering continued operation when regular channels of communication are down. However, the operational timeline for this hardened core is estimated to be three or four years from the current time, with the hardened core not yet operational at the moment.
The hardened core is intended to provide a resilient infrastructure, isolating itself from the main production environment to prevent attacks or failures from spreading. This physical and logical isolation includes dedicated platforms, no routable paths between production and recovery environments, and controlled virtualization.
Independent infrastructure services such as DNS, DHCP, and identity management are also a key feature of the hardened core. These services will operate independently even if the main environment is compromised, ensuring the continuity of critical services.
Strong identity and access controls are another essential aspect of the hardened core. These controls include no trust relationships with production identity domains, phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication for administrative access, and the use of hardened privileged access workstations.
Predefined recovery procedures and recovery-ready templates are also crucial for the hardened core. These mechanisms will enable rapid rebuilding of critical systems in isolation, ensuring faster recovery from disruptions.
While the specific challenges being faced in ensuring relevant information availability on the dedicated lines of the hardened core are not explicitly detailed, modern implementation guidance for such resilience measures involves coordinated efforts among security, infrastructure, identity management, and business continuity teams. Given the proximity of related initiatives, these operational capabilities are likely targeted for implementation or refinement in the immediate near term, possibly within the next 1-2 years.
It is unclear whether the hardened core will be shared among all networks within the PSN or only among a select few. Stubley has emphasized the principle of network sharing within the government as the core idea of the PSN project, aiming to eliminate dedicated government networks and encourage shared networks instead.
The old setup of separate government networks is intended to be phased out with the implementation of the PSN. This shift towards a shared network infrastructure is expected to enhance efficiency, promote collaboration, and reduce costs across the public sector.
In summary, the hardened core for the PSN, aimed at maintaining IT and communication services during disasters, focuses on physical isolation, independent management planes, strong identity controls, and rapid recovery mechanisms. The operationalization timeline for this hardened core is likely aligning with current 2025-2027 resilience efforts, although no explicit date is cited in available sources. The PSN project, under the leadership of John Stubley, continues to evolve, promising a more resilient and efficient communication infrastructure for the UK public sector.
The hardened core, a critical component of the PSN's transformation, will feature dedicated technology infrastructure to maintain IT and communication services during emergencies, with an operational timeline estimated to be within the next 3-4 years. With physical and logical isolation, independent infrastructure services, strong identity and access controls, and predefined recovery procedures, this technology is designed to provide a resilient infrastructure, ensuring continuity of critical services even during disruptions.
