Why the Topic Matters
Failed IT projects and network outages don’t just cause frustration – they come with massive costs. The Swedish National Audit Office reviewed over 1,000 digitalization projects and found that nearly half experienced delays or cost overruns, while five percent were terminated entirely after costing SEK 1.6 billion. Meanwhile, Check Point reports that Swedish organizations face over 1,800 cyberattacks per week – a 32% increase compared to the previous year. According to Cisco, the average cost of a network outage is SEK 6,700 per minute. It’s both cheaper and smarter to prevent incidents than to deal with their consequences.
The Cost of IT Failures
Rising costs. Poor planning and management often lead to expensive IT failures. Each abandoned project means wasted resources and lost trust.
Economic impact of outages. According to Cisco, an average network outage costs SEK 403,000 per hour – and for larger organizations, double that amount.
Cyberattacks on the rise. Check Point reports a 32% increase in attacks against Swedish organizations in 2025. The public sector, particularly education and telecom, is among the hardest hit.
How to Prevent Incidents
To strengthen resilience, proactive and systematic security work is required. According to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), half of the IT incidents in 2024 were caused by internal errors or system failures – not attacks. Many occurred during updates. Better change management, risk analysis, and training can therefore drastically reduce risks.
Concrete actions:
Risk-based security management. Identify and classify information assets. Plan changes in advance and test security before implementation.
Multiple layers of protection. Check Point recommends intrusion prevention, MFA, continuous updates, backups, and Zero Trust strategies.
Executive engagement. Ethical hacker Linus Kvarnhammar emphasizes that security should be viewed as an investment, not a cost.
Traceability and Incident Management
For many organizations, proper documentation is crucial. Under DORA and NIS2, traceability is required for all incidents and changes. With a case management system, organizations can categorize, prioritize, and document events. A configuration database (CMDB) enables change analysis and helps avoid errors. Traceability also improves post-incident analysis and ensures regulatory compliance.
eFörvaltningsdagarna 2025
Digital sovereignty is about maintaining control over data and infrastructure. At eFörvaltningsdagarna 2025, Mikael Sandberg (Sitevision) and Linus Kvarnhammar (ethical hacker) will discuss how dependence on foreign cloud services threatens Sweden’s data security. The issue concerns both trust and compliance with laws such as GDPR and Schrems II.
The eSam collaboration emphasizes that cloud services are vital for digitalization – but information must be handled so that control is retained. The U.S. Cloud Act can grant American authorities access to data, making it crucial to choose providers that store personal data within the EU. Iver highlights the importance of a clear data strategy and ensuring that all personal data is stored in Europe.
In a program full of compelling topics, we’re especially interested in these three sessions – all closely connected to AI, security, and digital sovereignty:
Digital Sovereignty– Mikael Sandberg and Linus Kvarnhammar explain how reliance on foreign cloud services threatens our ability to stay in control, and share examples of how authorities can retain ownership of their systems.
Live hacking – Wilma Emanuelsson demonstrates live how a hacker breaks into a system and shares practical tips for protection.
The NCSC:s Perspective – John Billow, Head of NCSC, outlines ongoing efforts to strengthen Sweden’s cyber defense and what’s next.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity and resilience are not only about technology – they’re about people, processes, and culture. Research shows that the costs of failed IT projects and cyberattacks are high, but solutions exist. Through the right strategies, transparency, and collaboration, we can reduce risks and build a robust digital society.
At VisionFlow, we help public sector organizations work securely, traceably, and efficiently. Our Swedish, GDPR-compliant solutions give you full control over your data and strengthen your defenses against future threats.
Sources
eFörvaltningsdagarna | 2025 års konferensprogram | https://eforvaltningsdagarna.se/program/
Riks Revisionen | Stora kostnadsökningar och förseningar i statliga IT-projekt | https://www.riksrevisionen.se/nyhetsarkiv/nyhetsarkiv/2025-04-29-stora-kostnadsokningar-och-forseningar-i-statliga-it-projekt.html
Passion Effect | Cyberattacker ökar med 32 procent i Sverige – utbildningssektorn hårdast drabbad globalt | https://passioneffect.se/cyberattacker-okar-med-32-procent-i-sverige-utbildningssektorn-hardast-drabbad-globalt/
Myndigheten för samhällskydd och beredskap | MSB-rapport visar: många IT-incidenter orsakas fortfarande av systemfel eller misstag | https://www.msb.se/sv/aktuellt/nyheter/2025/mars/msb-rapport-visar-manga-it-incidenter-orsakas-fortfarande-av-systemfel-eller-misstag/
Voister | Nätverksstörningar kostar svenska företag över 6 000 kronor i minuten | https://www.voister.se/artikel/2025/06/natverksstorningar-kostar-svenska-foretag-over-6-000-kronor-i-minuten/
eSam | Molnet – nödvändigt för offentlig sektor | https://www.esamverka.se/vad-vi-gor/molnfragan.html/
Iver | Molntjänster i offentlig sektor – så säkerställer du rätt hantering av personuppgifter | https://insights.iver.com/sv/molntjanster-i-offentlig-sektor-sa-sakerstaller-du-ratt-hantering-av-personuppgifter