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Operational resilience: NIS2 and DORA

Keep your services running: risk management, incident reporting and supplier rules under NIS2 and, in financial services, DORA.

Operational resilience: NIS2 and DORA

What clients ask us

Do NIS2 or DORA apply to us, directly or as a supplier?

NIS2 applies to medium-sized and large entities in the sectors of its two annexes, such as energy, transport, health, digital infrastructure, ICT services, manufacturing and online marketplaces. NIS2 is an EU directive that each Member State transposes into national law, so details and supervisors differ per country. DORA applies to financial entities and, through contracts, to their ICT providers. Smaller suppliers often meet the rules through customer requirements. Pitch helps you assess scope and contract exposure.

We are a financial entity. What does DORA require of us?

DORA (Regulation (EU) 2022/2554, applicable since 17 January 2025) is about staying operational, not only about security. Your management body must approve and oversee an ICT risk management framework, including business continuity and recovery plans. You classify ICT-related incidents and report major ones to your supervisor, test your digital operational resilience regularly (the largest entities with threat-led penetration tests), and manage ICT third-party risk, including a register of information on all your ICT contracts. Pitch helps with the governance documents, the register and the contracts.

What must we report after a security incident, and to whom?

Under NIS2, a significant incident goes to the national CSIRT or competent authority in stages: an early warning within 24 hours of becoming aware, a notification within 72 hours and a final report within one month. If personal data are affected, a separate GDPR notification to the data protection authority is due within 72 hours. Addressees and content differ, so prepare both from one set of facts. Financial entities under DORA report major ICT incidents to their financial supervisor.

What do we need to agree with our ICT suppliers?

Both regimes make you responsible for your supply chain. Expect to need security requirements, incident notification duties with short deadlines, audit and information rights, sub-contractor controls, business continuity and exit or data return terms. DORA lists mandatory contract content for ICT services to financial entities. Supplier standard terms rarely cover this, so review and renegotiate them. Pitch drafts and reviews these clauses.

Do we have to register as a NIS2 entity?

Often yes, if you fall within NIS2 scope: Member States require in-scope entities to register or notify the national authority, but procedures, platforms and deadlines differ per country. Registration also requires you to determine whether you are essential or important, which affects supervision. If you are unsure, do a scope analysis first. Essential entities must also have their compliance assessed, with the method set nationally (often by reference to standards such as ISO/IEC 27001).

Can management be held liable under NIS2?

NIS2 puts governance on the board: management bodies must approve the cybersecurity risk measures, oversee their implementation and follow training, and can be held liable for infringements. Fines can reach EUR 10 million or 2% of worldwide turnover for essential entities and EUR 7 million or 1.4% for important entities. Minutes showing that the board reviewed and approved the measures are your best evidence.

What security measures does NIS2 actually require?

Article 21 requires appropriate and proportionate technical, operational and organisational measures based on an all-hazards approach. The list includes risk analysis, incident handling, business continuity and backups, supply chain security, vulnerability handling, cryptography, access control and multi-factor authentication. There is no fixed checklist, so run a gap assessment, have the board approve a plan and keep evidence. Pitch advises on the legal and contractual side, not on technical security testing.

We are a small software company serving banks. What does DORA mean for us?

DORA, applicable since 17 January 2025, binds financial entities, not you directly, unless you are designated a critical ICT third-party provider. But your bank customers must put specific terms in their contracts with you: service descriptions, locations of data, security and incident support, audit access, sub-contracting conditions and exit assistance. Expect these requests and prepare a standard addendum rather than negotiating each one from scratch.

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