Getting Ready for NIS: Ensuring Compliance and Enhancing Cybersecurity

The NIS2 Directive is the EU-wide legislation on cybersecurity that applies to all entities with 50 employees and an annual turnover of 10 million EUR. Companies in the EU have until October 17th, 2024, to implement NIS2, which provides measures to boost overall cybersecurity levels across the region.

NIS2 modernizes the existing 2016 EU cybersecurity rules to keep pace with increased digitization and evolving cyber threats. Its expansion aims to improve resilience and response times for both private companies and public authorities.

This “culture of security” impacts technology-reliant sectors like energy, transport, water, banking, fintech, healthcare, and digital. NIS2’s Article 21 covers cyber risk management, reporting obligations, and a wide range of security recommendations.

We would like to help companies operating in the EU prepare for this important 2024 deadline by assessing their cybersecurity postures and identifying any gaps that need to be addressed. Taking proactive steps now will ensure smooth compliance and enhanced protection.

To comply with the NIS Directive, companies will need to examine several key business areas:

• Policies – Implement comprehensive policies for risk management and information security.
• Incident Management – Improve capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber incidents.
• Business Continuity – Ensure backup systems, disaster recovery plans, and crisis management protocols are in place.
• Supply Chain – Require baseline security measures up through the software development process for suppliers.
• Procurement – Build security into purchasing requirements for IT and network systems.
• Training – Institute organization-wide cyber hygiene training.
• Cryptography – Utilize cryptography and encryption wherever feasible.
• Personnel – Enhance hiring screens and digital identity management.
• Asset Management – Maintain detailed inventories of critical digital assets.
• Authentication – Mandate multi-factor authentication and single sign-on.
• Emergency Communications – Establish secure emergency communication systems.

As organizations navigate the complexities of modern cybersecurity, robust identity management is a linchpin in fortifying their defense strategies. Here are key aspects where effective identity management, plays a pivotal role:

• Access Control: Properly managing user identities enables organizations to enforce strong access control measures. Organizations can ensure that only authorized personnel can access specific resources or perform certain actions within their network and information systems by assigning unique identities to individuals or entities.
• Authentication and Authorization: Identity management facilitates the implementation of robust authentication mechanisms, such as multi-factor authentication, to verify the identity of users before granting access. It also enables organizations to define granular authorization policies, ensuring that users have appropriate privileges and permissions based on their roles and responsibilities.
• Incident Response: In the event of a security incident, identity management plays a crucial role in identifying the individuals or entities involved. Properly managing identities allows organizations to track and trace actions performed within their systems, aiding in incident investigation, attribution, and remediation.
• Compliance Monitoring: The NIS2 requires organizations to implement measures for managing risks to the security of networks and information systems. Identity management allows organizations to monitor and audit user activities, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. It enables organizations to demonstrate accountability by documenting who accessed specific resources and when.
• Asset Management: With Identity Governance, you control who, how, and when to use your assets.

Cloudfresh can assist organizations in meeting NIS2 compliance requirements. We leverage our partner’s automated threat protection to block malicious users while providing visibility into your security posture. Features like Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication, Bot Detection, and Breached Password Protection add layered protection without overburdening end users.

Additionally, providing a wide range of compliance, certification, and data residency needs – including NIS2, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC, ISO, SOX, and more. Our experts can advise configuring these solutions to fit your unique regulatory obligations and security priorities. We identify gaps, deliver implementation support, and provide ongoing optimization and training for the network and information security initiatives. Ready to enhance your security posture? Reach out for more details!