Critical infrastructure and key resources
(also CIKR)
Critical infrastructure and key resources definition
The assets that a nation requires to properly function, including the services needed to process, procure, and protect them. These assets include IT, transportation, energy, communications, food, and water, among others.
Real critical infrastructure and key resources examples
1998: President Bill Clinton launched the national Critical Infrastructure Protection program in the US through presidential directive PDD-63.
2006: The European Commission published directive EU COM(2006) 786, designating critical infrastructure areas that affected multiple member states simultaneously.