Compliance is a vital requirement for nearly all organizations, one that demands a rigorous approach to maintaining secure infrastructure and adhering to industry best practices. As organizations and their partners become increasingly interconnected, they face a complex landscape of data exchange, business processes, local laws, and regulatory obligations. In today’s environment, cyberthreats are inevitable, making strong compliance measures essential for ensuring operational resilience.
For businesses operating within the European Union, the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and the Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) set the legislative framework for information and communication technology (ICT) risk management, incident reporting, resilience testing, and third-party risk oversight. These regulations establish robust standards and requirements to support both cybersecurity and business continuity across the EU.
What is DORA compliance?
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is an EU regulation designed to ensure financial entities can withstand, respond to, and recover from information and communication technology (ICT) disruptions. These can include events such as cyberattacks or system failures. Although DORA applies as of January 17, 2025, many organizations aren’t aware of it. This regulation impacts banks, insurers, investment firms, and ICT third-party providers.
Key DORA compliance requirements include:
- Implementing robust ICT risk management frameworks
- Performing regular resilience testing, including threat-led penetration tests
- Managing third-party ICT risks under strict contractual provisions
- Reporting major ICT-related incidents to authorities and sharing threat intelligence
How DORA compliance varies in the EU and the UK
While EU DORA compliance harmonizes rules across member states, the UK (post Brexit) follows its own operational resilience framework under the two bodies that regulate the UK financial services industry, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA). UK standards emphasize similar principles (ICT risk management and resilience testing) but differ in oversight and reporting timelines.
What is NIS2 compliance?
Building on 2016’s Network and Information Security Directive (NIS1), the NIS2 Directive, entered into force on January 16, 2023, expands the EU’s cybersecurity obligations to 18 critical sectors, including energy, healthcare, finance, and public administration. Member States were required to transpose NIS2 into national law by October 17, 2024, which repealed the NIS1 directive.
Key NIS2 compliance requirements include:
- Risk management measures for network and information systems
- Incident reporting for significant disruptions
- Governance and accountability at the board level
- Supply chain security and vulnerability management
- Establishment of national cybersecurity strategies and computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) for coordinated response
How Recast helps customers achieve compliance with DORA and NIS2
Recast solutions don’t enforce compliance policies directly, but they do provide visibility, reporting, and control capabilities that support daily compliance efforts.
How Application Workspace supports DORA and NIS2 compliance
Recast’s application management solution, Application Workspace, enables IT teams to govern delivery, updates, and compliance from one console. The centralized dashboard includes real-time visibility into patch levels, compliance status, and user activities. In addition, exportable reports for regulatory audits and integration with SIEM tools like Splunk or Microsoft Sentinel reduce the administrative load on compliance teams.
Application Workspace offers a curated application catalog that standardizes what software is allowed in an organization’s environment. This prevents users from installing unauthorized or risky software, reducing malware risk, and delivers audit-ready information that supports incident investigations with precise accounting of who did what and when. Additionally, Application Workspace supports least-privilege access that replaces blanket admin rights with easily approved user requests for apps. Installations are handled without granting full admin privileges and approval workflows ensure oversight.
How Right Click Tools supports DORA and NIS2 compliance
As an industry-leading solution for endpoint management, Right Click Tools optimizes systems management by enforcing encryption, privileged access, updates, and more via automated workflows. These capabilities make Right Click Tools an effective compliance solution for organizations seeking to streamline reporting, maintain operational resilience, and achieve audit-ready compliance.
Three Right Click Tools add-ons further boost these benefits:
- Privileged Access: Revoke or manage admin rights to meet access control requirements.
- Insights: Document compliance with detailed hardware and software inventories.
- Patching: Leverage one-click patching and a view of device status across the organization to build compliance into inventory management practices.
Summary: DORA vs. NIS2
| Aspect | DORA | NIS2 |
| Scope | Financial sector + ICT providers | 18 critical sectors |
| Nature | Regulation (directly applicable) | Directive (requires national laws) |
| Focus | Operational resilience | Cybersecurity risk management |
| Enforcement | EU financial regulators | National authorities |
| Testing | Prescriptive (TLPT) | Risk-based |
DORA compliance checklist
The following checklist outlines key steps and controls needed for successful DORA compliance.
- Implement an ICT risk management framework
- Complete threat-led penetration testing
- Assess and monitor your third-party ICT providers
- Establish incident reporting processes
- Implement oversight readiness for critical ICT providers
NIS2 compliance checklist
Below are essential actions and controls you should implement to align with NIS2 obligations and enhance your overall cybersecurity posture.
- Create gap analysis and risk management measures
- Test your incident response plan
- Document governance and accountability
- Verify supply chain security
- Enforce regular audits and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Why compliance with DORA and NIS2 matters
Failure to achieve compliance with DORA or NIS2 can result in significant fines, reputational damage, and operational disruption. Leveraging tools like Recast’s Application Workspace and Right Click Tools helps ensure your organization can meet these obligations efficiently while strengthening your overall security posture.
