German companies are poorly prepared for emergencies

Bitkom understands hybrid threats as physical attacks on infrastructure, such as the recent arson attack on the Berlin power grid. This also includes digital threats such as disinformation and cyberattacks, which are also directed against critical infrastructure.

Poorly prepared for power outages

There are also serious gaps in the physical security of business ability. While almost 60 percent of companies have alternative means of communication and functioning backups, the energy supply is a sore point: only 20 percent of companies have installed their own emergency power supply.

In addition to the technical deficits, many companies are also in the dark when it comes to personnel planning. If there is an alliance situation or a major crisis, many employees would have to start their service in the Bundeswehr or in civil defense. However, companies largely lack an overview of this: only 20 percent know how many of their employees would be called up by the Bundeswehr in an emergency; In civil defense only 30 percent know. On average, companies expect that around 9 percent of their workforce would be absent in such a scenario – a logistical challenge for which hardly any company has specifically prepared.

Willingness to invest increases in view of the threat situation

However, awareness of the deficits seems to be growing. Around 37 percent of companies plan to increase their investments in protective measures against hybrid attacks in 2026, 9 percent of which even “significantly”. This seems urgently necessary given the economy’s self-assessment: Currently, 40 percent of companies describe themselves as “not at all” and a further 38 percent as “fairly poorly” prepared for hybrid attacks.

The results of the survey underline how dependent the German economy is on digital infrastructure: On average, companies could only maintain their business operations for 20 hours in the event of an internet failure. At the same time, 83 percent of the companies surveyed expect that hybrid attacks will lead to a serious crisis in Germany, and a majority of 53 percent even believe a military conflict between NATO and Russia is possible in the next five years.