In order to effectively prepare for, respond to, and mitigate disasters, public–private partnerships need to be able to communicate effectively. When determining how to effectively share information, consider the following questions:

• What information should be shared? Partnerships can share response plans, contact information, sensitive or proprietary information, and/or threat information.
• How will the partnership guard sensitive and proprietary information? Partnerships should ensure that proprietary information is not improperly disseminated.
• How will the information be shared? This information can be shared in a number of ways, including insecure networks (such as listservs or conference calls) or secure networks (such as InfraGard or DHS Homeland Security Information Network).