Digital Identity Management: an accelerator for compliance with NIS2 and DORA?

As cyberattacks become increasingly frequent and sophisticated, the NIS2 and DORA regulations represent key steps toward better securing digital infrastructures and the financial sector across Europe. At the heart of this compliance effort, effective digital identity management emerges as a major strategic challenge, serving to strengthen the security of organizations.

NIS2 and DORA: framework and objectives

• NIS2 – Directive on the Security of Network and Information Systems
Adopted to strengthen the level of cybersecurity within the European Union, NIS2 extends security requirements and incident reporting obligations to a larger number of sectors. It also helps harmonize security measures within the EU, thus enhancing resilience against cyberattacks.

• DORA – Digital Operational Resilience Act
The DORA regulation specifically targets the financial sector. It aims to ensure the digital operational resilience of a sector particularly vulnerable to sensitive digital practices. With new risks and cloud service providers, DORA also seeks to raise the level of security across Europe.

Digital Identity Management: essential for your compliance?

The implementation of NIS2 and DORA, scheduled respectively for October 2024 and January 2025, is now imminent. To meet expected requirements, a controlled, agile, and well-scaled digital access and identity management is a necessary prerequisite to be established within organizations.

• Protection against cyberattacks
Effective identity management precisely defines roles, rights, and access. Thus, only authorized users or systems can access a network, an application, etc. This granularity inherently limits unauthorized access, and thus the possibilities of attack. Similarly, in the event of an intrusion, it helps contain the threat quickly and provide an effective and controlled incident response.

• Optimization of detection
Real-time analysis of logs and operations ensures an optimal level of control and immediate alerts in case of unusual or suspicious behaviors. The security of operations and interactions is thus reinforced, in accordance with the regulations.

• Demonstration of compliance
Regular audits are an essential component of NIS2 and DORA, as is the requirement for rigorous access control to protect sensitive data. In the coming months, organizations will need to demonstrate their compliance. Advanced analyses and reports provided by Identity Factory platforms will justify the processes and various policies (security, log provision, access controls, etc.) implemented.

How to start?

If we’ve convinced you that effective and robust identity management can be at the heart of your compliance strategy for NIS2 and DORA, here are now three practical tips to get started!

• Mapping your access and data
NIS2 and DORA require strict access control to protect critical infrastructures. Establishing – or validating if it already exists – a precise mapping of access and identities, based on their importance and sensitivity, will allow you to:
-> build (or confirm) your identity management and access level policy (especially regarding sensitive data)
-> deploy a strategy consistent with your challenges and meeting new European requirements, thanks to an IDaaS solution – particularly an Identity Factory

• Deploy an Identity Factory approach
Using an Identity Factory solution is a strategic imperative in your compliance effort.
It allows you to:
-> protect by granting access based on the principle of least privilege
-> recertify authorizations
-> adapt access control based on risk
-> use strong authentication technologies (MFA)
-> view accesses and identities as a wholehave real-time tracking and reporting of your activity
The Identity Factory ensures that only authorized individuals can access critical resources, a central element of NIS2 compliance.

• Train your employees and partners regularly
Regularly educating and training your teams on identity security and access management is crucial. These trainings should disseminate and anchor the best security practices, internal policies, and specific regulatory requirements of NIS2 and DORA. By strengthening the security culture within your organization, you improve both your compliance and your employees’ ability to respond effectively to security incidents.

In conclusion:
Memority, the Identity Factory solution for successful compliance

The Identity Factory Memority offers a unique platform with three complementary services to meet the challenges set up by NIS2 and DORA:
• My-Identity to manage the lifecycle of all digital identities (employees, partners, clients, businesses, individuals, citizens, and IoT) while propagating access rights across the information system and verifying compliance at any time
• My-Access to manage access to SI applications by offering a seamless and secure experience based on the access context
• My-Keys to manage users’ second authentication factors, thus securing your organization

NB: As a supplier and hoster of sensitive data, Memority is also subject to NIS2, as many other companies will be.

-> To find out more about the benefits of the Memority platform: click here