Protecting our freedoms: securing data, identity and critical systems—without compromise

  • Cybersecurity
  • Europe
  • United Kingdom

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  • Type Insight
  • Published
  • Last updated

The same digital tools that power modern life can also erode rights and resilience. Thales solutions protect people, data and national lifelines—openly and responsibly—across government, critical infrastructure and enterprise.

Security that strengthens, not sidelines, democratic freedoms

Why protecting freedoms needs a new trust framework

Digital transformation has blurred the line between convenience and exposure. Critical services now depend on complex ecosystems—cloud platforms, managed providers and converged OT/IT—so a single weak link can cascade into national disruption. At the same time, the UK’s evolving policy landscape demands stronger resilience with privacy and accountability intact.

The answer is a shared, outcome-driven model: clearly define who protects what, and how evidence is logged. Just as important, ensure services recover quickly—without compromising civil liberties.

The customer reality: three arenas, shared pressures

  • Government & public sector. Deliver capabilities with democratic oversight; manage cross-border data flows; ensure transparency in AI decisions; and meet new cyber-resilience duties across sprawling provider ecosystems.
  • Critical National Infrastructure. Modernise legacy OT, manage IT/OT convergence, counter sophisticated cyber-physical attacks, and harden supply chains while sustaining operations through geopolitical shocks.
  • Private sector & enterprise. Retain control of sensitive data in cloud environments, navigate international data-transfer constraints, and build customer trust through privacy-preserving design.

Thales approach: freedom through digital trust

  • Zero Trust—everywhere (IT & OT). Move beyond perimeters to authenticate every user, service and device; encrypt or tokenise sensitive data; continuously monitor for anomalies; and migrate legacy systems towards Zero Trust-compatible services.
  • Proven identity foundations. PKI, strong authentication (including FIDO) and lifecycle identity onboarding underpin confidential services and citizen-centred experiences—at national scale.
  • Secure-by-Design, continuously verified. Build resilience into the lifecycle; reinforce with threat intelligence and regular audits against recognised frameworks.
  • Data sovereignty you can prove. UK-managed processing and national key control to protect from extraterritorial interference while sustaining high-trust citizen services.

Bridging cyber and physical: where freedoms meet the real world

Threats don’t respect domains. We secure cyber-physical systems – from control rooms to remote sites – by combining identity-first security, secure communications and layered sensing, tailored for OT realities. For hostile or careless drone activity near sensitive locations, our counter-UAS options scale from jamming to RF-directed energy – always aligned with policy and safe operation.

From policy to practice: resilience as a service

Skills are scarce and threats move fast. Thales augments customer teams with managed detection & response, through-life assurance and exercises on our UK cyber range—so playbooks are rehearsed and recovery is measured.

At-a-glance: Our capabilities

  • Digital Trust & Identity – identity-first controls, encryption and continuous monitoring across users, services and devices.
  • Sovereign Cloud & Data Control – UK-managed processing, national key control and privacy-by-design services.
  • CNI Resilience – Secure-by-Design and Zero Trust for OT/IT to reduce successful attacks and keep services running through disruption.
  • Integrated Physical-Cyber Defence – from counter-UAS to perimeter and CPS security, combining sensors, comms and effectors.