What is NIS2?
Expanding cybersecurity across the EU
The Network and Information Security Directive 2 (NIS2) is the revised EU directive aimed at improving cybersecurity for what it calls essential and important entities. Organizations across member states are required to implement specific security measures. For business and security leaders, this means higher cybersecurity standards, mandatory incident reporting within set deadlines and clearly defined accountability at the management level. NIS2 is more than just regulation – it drives a strategic shift towards stronger, more harmonized cybersecurity right across Europe.
Who needs to comply with NIS2?
NIS2 applies to critical infrastructure and covers medium and large organizations in sectors like energy, finance, healthcare, public administration and IT services.
With NIS2, cybersecurity becomes a mandatory task and a strategic priority.
New security obligations for IT teams and executives
NIS2 requires organizations to implement and oversee technical and organizational security measures.
How NIS2 works – scope, requirements and penalties
NIS2 was adopted to create a consistent and high level of cybersecurity across EU member states. It applies to public and private entities with over 50 employees or more than €10 million in annual revenue, operating in sectors defined as essential or important. For organizations, this means setting up and maintaining an information security management system (ISMS), including risk assessments, contingency plans, continuous monitoring and incident reporting. Non-compliance can trigger heavy fines and result in severe penalties.
NIS2 security measures in practice
NIS2 promotes the adoption of uniform security standards across industries, making practices like network segmentation, encryption and incident response part of everyday operations.
NIS2 and corporate accountability
NIS2 makes cybersecurity a core concern not only for large enterprises and critical infrastructure, but for a broad range of organizations across the EU. This means more work for IT security teams but it also establishes clearer rules that improve resilience. Organizations that act early to implement the NIS2 Directive benefit from standardized processes, enhanced threat detection and stronger customer and partner trust. The message of NIS2 is clear: cybersecurity is now central to corporate responsibility across sectors.
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