Over the next two years, 50 to 75 billion home and industrial electrical devices will be connected to the Internet, enabling more convenient home energy use, efficient manufacturing, improved healthcare, safer transportation and a cleaner environment. This is commonly known as the “Internet of Things” or IoT.

But every device connected to the Internet creates a potential pathway for foreign governments and other malevolent actors to compromise essential networks — particularly the electric power grid, the backbone of our critical infrastructure. Today, the United States remains exposed to the potential for large-scale or prolonged disruption of the power grid, which could cripple the economy.

Earlier this year, I joined several of the nation’s top cyber-security experts in concluding that threats to critical infrastructure networks such as the power grid are increasing rapidly in scope and sophistication, and cybersecurity must be built into the business strategies of all businesses, especially energy companies.

What is needed is a culture of enhanced and sustained resilience. We must manage digital risks aggressively through existing and emerging technologies and security practices, backed by a deep ability to rebound quickly and continue operations following a cyber-attack. Developing this culture of resiliency will require the government and the private sector to jointly defend our critical infrastructure, since more than 85 percent of those assets in the U.S. are privately owned.