A Channel Partner's Guide to NIS 2 — Real Teeth and Real Fines

It’s only a couple of weeks until the Network and Information Systems Directive (NIS 2) comes into force. The legislation provides legal measures to boost the overall level of cybersecurity in the EU.

NIS 2 mandates more robust cybersecurity measures for companies operating critical infrastructure and providing essential services. Organizations have until 17 October to get everything in place for the new regulation. (Although NIS 2 doesn’t apply to the UK, organisations that fall under the scope must be compliant in order to do business in the EU.)

According to research by Zscaler, 80% of European IT leaders are confident their organizations will meet NIS 2 compliance requirements in time. However, only 53% believe their teams fully understand those requirements — and 56% say they aren’t receiving the required support from business leaders to meet the deadline.

“The NIS 2 Directive emphasizes the responsibility of organizations to ensure network and information system security with a culture of governance and comprehensive risk management. They must adopt proactive technical, operational, and organisational measures to manage the risks posed to the security of network and information systems,” said Zscaler in the report.

Similarly, a new survey by Veeam Software indicates that 66% of firms will miss the compliance deadline. It said key challenges include technical debt (24%), lack of leadership understanding (23%), and insufficient budget/investments (21%).

Here, channel partners can play an important role, helping their customers navigate NIS 2. We asked cybersecurity and channel executives what NIS 2 means to channel partners. Moreover, how can they help their customers navigate the Directive? Find out, in their words, in the slideshow above.