Operation of the government security network (TUVE)

The operation of the government security network is governed by law. It secures, under all circumstances, the cooperation and communications of the Government’s executive leadership and the authorities that are vital to the safety and security of society.

Act on the Operation of the Government Security Network (finlex.fi)

Security authorities' shared ICT services and operating model.

The security network (TUVE), implemented according to high contingency planning and security requirements, is an authority network owned or controlled by the state and consists of the communications network, the equipment facilities and equipment related to it and the shared ICT services. The security network enables daily work in both operational activities and administrative tasks. Security network services (hereinafter “the TUVE services) are available in the entire country and can also be used in international tasks. TUVE services are produced, supervised and managed around the clock.

TUVE services are produced for user groups defined in the Act on the Operation of the Government Security Network (TUVE Act). The services have approximately 35,000 users in the Government, different police organisations, the Finnish Border Guard, the Emergency Response Centre Agency, the Finnish Immigration Service, the Finnish Defence Forces, the Finnish Customs, rescue services, emergency medical services and certain organisations that support these authorities.

The TUVE services’ compliance with the high contingency planning and security requirements is developed and the service providers’ ability to provide services is assessed regularly.

The Ministry of Finance is responsible for guidance and supervision

The Ministry of Finance is responsible for strategic and economic guidance of the operation of the security network as well as its ICT contingency planning, preparedness and security guidance. The Ministry of Finance is also responsible for guidance and supervision of the security network service provision.

The Ministry’s guidance duty is supported by the Advisory Committee on Security Network Operations, set up by the Government. The Advisory Committee consists of representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Finnish Defence Forces, the National Emergency Supply Agency and the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities. During 2024, the Advisory Committee will be complemented with a joint representative of wellbeing services counties, the City of Helsinki and the HUS Group. 

Suomen Erillisverkot Oy ja Valtori as security network service providers

The security network’s ICT and integration services are produced by the Government ICT Centre Valtori. Its network and infrastructure services are produced by the state-owned Suomen Erillisverkot Oy (hereinafter “Erillisverkot”). Erillisverkot also produces ICT services for the authority radio network and authorities’ time-critical broadband mobile communications, as referred to in the TUVE Act, i.e. so-called Virve services.

The security network service providers have a statutory exclusive right to the provision of security network services. The exclusive right is restricted only to the security network services defined in the TUVE Act. In addition, the exclusive right and the use of the security network is restricted to apply only to cooperation and communications related to the operations of the key authorities responsible for security and carried out within and between authorities and between authorities and external parties in accordance with high security and contingency planning requirements. 

To ensure the exclusive right and the security of the operation of the security network, the security network service providers must arrange the security network service production as required by the TUVE Act, administratively, operationally and financially separated from their other operations. The separation ensures that the resources required by the operation of the security network are available under all security-related circumstances and security and contingency planning are managed so that the operational goals defined in the TUVE Act are met. The clear separation of the exclusive right also requires that the security network service providers separate the revenue and expenses related to the operation of the security network from their other operations in their accounting. This also ensures that the service fees are used to cover specifically the expenses incurred by the operation of the security network.

Operational development

Together with the agencies that use the security network, the Ministry of Finance maintains a guiding document for developing the operation of the security network, called “Turvallisuusverkkotoiminnan kehittämisen linjaukset”. The document describes the principles of the continuous development of the security network, which take into account both the digitalisation of public administration and the service development needs arising from the user organisations’ operational change needs. The guiding document serves as a basis for drawing up an annually updated target architecture for the operation of the security network and the architecture’s implementation plan.

In 2017, a development process was started for turning the services of the Virve authority radio network, related to the operation of the security network, into broadband services. The goal is that the new time-critical broadband mobile ICT service for authorities, the so-called Virve 2 service, can be deployed in 2025–2027.

The cooperation between Valtori and Erillisverkot is developed to enable them to offer, among other things, compatible service packages that take the customers’ needs into account.

Read more:

• Launching the implementation of the operation of the government security network 12/2016
• Appendix to the above: Analysis of various matters stated in the Administration Committee report HaVM 35/2014
• Act on the Operation of the Government Security Network, 10/2015
• Government Decree on the Operation of the Government Security Network, 1109/2015
• Suomen Erillisverkot Oy
• Government ICT Centre Valtori
• Virve 2.0 development