concerning prevention and response to other businesses with great relevance for society will also be considered. Protecting businesses in Germany The Federal Government will expand and increase links between its offerings to increase awareness and support German business and industry. Medium-sized businesses in particular must be able to protect themselves effectively against threats in and from cyberspace in order to take full advantage of the opportunities associated with digitalization. The relevant implementation strategies should be developed by government, the private sector and the research community working together. Government should provide concrete support for businesses to help them achieve the necessary level of IT security. Businesses and government agencies must be able to trust each other to handle sensitive topics professionally and with discretion. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and the central cyber crime contact point of the federal and state police play a key role in preventing cyber crime and espionage against businesses. The Federal Government will also work with the private sector and research community to expand existing initiatives, such as the Allianz für Cyber-Sicherheit (Alliance for cyber security), the German Competence Center against Cyber-Crime (G4C), and the initiatives IT-Sicherheit in der Wirtschaft (IT security in the private sector) and Initiative Wirtschaftsschutz (Economic security initiative), and to strengthen the connections between them, also to create synergies. Strengthening Germany’s IT industry Cyber security in Germany requires a strong and innovative German IT industry based on secure network infrastructures and on identifying key technologies in the field of IT security and defence from trustworthy IT manufacturers. To make Germany’s IT industry more competitive, the Federal Government will promote the quality label “IT Security Made in Germany” and expand the existing instruments for foreign trade. In national key technology fields, networks with the national IT security industry should be strengthened and own capacities should be built up, promoted and protected wherever possible and useful. 17