Intercept helps their customers navigate the Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS2). In the following topics we explain what NIS2 could mean to you:
- What is NIS2?
- The importance of NIS2
- Who must comply with NIS2?
- How Intercept can help
- Intercept and NIS2
What is NIS2?
The Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS2) is a significant legislative framework introduced by the European Union to enhance the overall level of cyber security across member states. Building upon its predecessor, NIS1, the NIS2 directive is designed to address the evolving threat landscape and ensure that critical infrastructure and essential services are better protected against cyber risks. It imposes stricter obligations on a broader range of public and private entities, demanding improved cyber resilience, incident response, and cross-border collaboration.
The importance of NIS2
NIS2 aims to create a more robust and harmonized cyber security environment within the EU by:
- Expanding the scope: NIS2 extends its coverage to include more sectors and services, acknowledging that a wider array of industries are essential for societal and economic functionality
- Strengthening security requirements: The directive introduces more stringent security measures, including risk management practices, supply chain security, and incident response protocols
- Enhancing collaboration: NIS2 fosters greater cooperation between member states, promoting information sharing and coordinated responses to cyber threats
- Improving oversight: The directive empowers national authorities with more robust regulatory and enforcement capabilities to ensure compliance
Who must comply with NIS2?
NIS2 applies to a wide range of public and private entities that are deemed critical to the economic and societal stability of the EU. This includes operators of essential services (OES) such as energy, transport, banking, financial market infrastructures, health, water supply and distribution, and digital infrastructure. Additionally, it covers digital service providers (DSPs) including online marketplaces, online search engines, and cloud computing services.
Entities within these sectors must implement appropriate and proportionate security measures to manage risks posed to their network and information systems. They are also required to notify relevant national authorities of any significant incidents that could impact the continuity of their services. Non-compliance with NIS2 can result in substantial penalties, reinforcing the necessity for organizations to prioritize cybersecurity and adhere to the directive's stringent requirements.
How Intercept can help
Intercept specializes in providing comprehensive cyber security solutions. Our expertise aligns perfectly with the requirements of NIS2, enabling us to assist our customers in achieving superior standards of information security.
NIS2 in combination with Intercept solutions
Intercept, with the help of Microsoft Azure, offers a comprehensive suite of cloud services that can be leveraged by customers to comply with the NIS2. By integrating Azure's advanced tools and services, customers can enhance their security posture, ensure compliance, and operational resilience.
Cloud Control
When you are looking to maintain control of your cloud environment without the daily operational burden, then Intercept offers Cloud Control. With Cloud Control, Intercept manages your infrastructure, allowing your team to focus entirely on your goals. We optimize and monitor your cloud environment's performance, security, and costs. You can maintain an overview through our dashboard and access support, advice, and more directly.
Defender for Cloud
In order to keep track of security incidents, a cloud workload protection platform is required. The required solution for this is Microsoft Defender for Cloud. High severity security alerts, classified by Microsoft, will be monitored and picked up and lead to the creation of security Incidents. Responses and actions on security alerts are included in Cloud Control, actions on medium and low are handled with a lower priority. Actions will also be approved by the customer before changing resources or settings.
Within Microsoft Defender for Cloud, the customer shall and keep activated the following modules:
- Defender for Servers (the advanced P2 plan)
- Defender for Containers
- Defender for Storage
- Defender for Databases (Azure SQL, SQL Server on machines, Open-source Databases and CosmosDB)
- Defender for App Service
- Defender for Key Vault
- Defender for Resource Manager
To improve the security posture, Azure Secure Score metric is being used. The metric is available to all Azure customers. All quick fixes (less than 1 hour) will be part of Cloud Control effort. If resource changes must be made a backlog item will be created. If the customer has Platform Control, it will be part of the platform control hours. If not, the customer needs to approve the work upfront.
Intercept will configure vulnerability monitoring and end-of-life / retirement monitoring on supported public cloud resources and will advise customers with a fitting solution.
Azure Security Center
Azure Security Center provides unified security management and advanced threat protection across hybrid cloud workloads. It helps customers to:
- Strengthen security posture by providing continuous assessments and recommendations
- Protect against evolving threats with integrated threat intelligence and advanced analytics
- Streamline compliance with built-in policies and regulatory requirements
Azure Sentinel
Azure Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) system that offers:
- Intelligent security analytics for your entire enterprise
- Automated threat detection and response capabilities
- Integration with various data sources for comprehensive threat detection
By utilizing Azure Sentinel, financial institutions can enhance their incident response capabilities and meet NIS2 requirements for timely reporting and mitigation of IT-related incidents.
Azure Policy and Compliance Management
Azure Policy enables financial institutions to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance at scale. With Azure Policy, you can:
- Define and enforce policies for resource management.
- Continuously monitor compliance with NIS2 regulatory requirements
- Automate remediation of non-compliant resources
Azure Backup and Disaster Recovery
Ensuring operational resilience is a key aspect of NIS2. Azure offers robust backup and disaster recovery solutions that help financial institutions to:
- Protect against data loss with automated backup solutions
- Ensure business continuity with seamless disaster recovery solutions
- Minimize downtime and data loss with rapid recovery capabilities
Azure Third-Party Risk Management
Azure provides tools to manage third-party risks effectively. Customers can use Azure's capabilities to:
- Assess and monitor the security posture of third-party vendors.
- Enforce compliance with security standards and regulatory requirements
- Mitigate third-party risks through continuous monitoring and assessments
Azure Information Sharing
Azure facilitates secure information sharing among financial institutions, fostering collaboration and collective defense. Institutions can leverage Azure's services to:
- Share threat intelligence and security insights securely
- Collaborate on cybersecurity initiatives and best practices
- Strengthen the overall resilience of the financial sector
Training and Awareness Programs
Intercept delivers comprehensive training and awareness programs to educate their employees about technical measures for the NIS2 requirements and best practices for cyber security. This helps a culture of security and ensures that all staff members are equipped to contribute to your organization's compliance efforts.
Intercept and NIS2
Intercept has established a comprehensive set of internal policies to ensure information and cyber security. These policies cover various aspects such as data protection, access control, incident response, and employee training. The policies are designed to align with industry best practices and regulatory requirements, ensuring that all employees understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining information security. Intercept takes all technical and organizational measures to secure your (personal) data against loss or other unlawful processing. For this purpose, we are ISO 27001 and Microsoft Azure Expert MSP certified.
Conclusion
Implementing NIS2 is a critical step towards safeguarding your organization's digital infrastructure and ensuring compliance with EU cybersecurity standards. With Intercept's expertise and support, you can confidently navigate the complexities of the directive, enhance your cyber resilience, and protect your essential services from evolving threats.
Intercept integrates their solutions with the Microsoft Azure's cloud services. With the provisions of the NIS2 enables organizations to enhance their cyber security posture, ensure compliance, and achieve operational resilience. The comprehensive suite of tools and services aligns perfectly with NIS2 requirements, providing financial institutions with the capabilities needed to safeguard their operations against digital disruptions and cyber threats. Because Intercept is leveraging Azure within their services, financial institutions can build a more secure and resilient future.
Intercept is capable to support their customers with the implementation of NIS2.