The role of ITIL processes in ensuring compliance with DORA and NIS2

With increasing digitization and reliance on technology, businesses and organizations face new requirements to manage and protect their IT infrastructure. Regulations such as DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and NIS2 (Network and Information Systems Directive 2) have been put in place to strengthen digital resilience and ensure that businesses and organizations have adequate measures in place to deal with cyber threats and disruptions.

One component to meet these requirements is the implementation of effective ITSM processes.

What are DORA and NIS2?

DORA aims to ensure that financial institutions are resilient to digital disruptions and cyberattacks. It requires institutions and their suppliers to have robust IT systems and processes in place to manage incidents and ensure business continuity. NIS2 applies more broadly and focuses on strengthening the cybersecurity of critical sectors in the EU, such as energy, transport, healthcare and finance.

Both frameworks share the objective of ensuring that organizations are prepared to manage and recover from digital threats and that they protect the digital infrastructure on which modern societies depend.

The role of ITIL processes in compliance

ITIL processes provide a framework for managing and optimizing IT services within an organization. When implemented correctly, they can serve as a critical component in meeting the requirements of both DORA and NIS2. Here is an overview of key ITIL processes and their importance:

Incident Management

Incident management ensures that disruptions are handled quickly and effectively to minimize the impact on business. DORA and NIS2 require organizations to have well-developed incident management plans to ensure that business interruptions, whether caused by cyberattacks or technical failures, can be addressed immediately.

Incident Management is central to minimizing the repercussions of disruptions and ensuring that the right actions are taken quickly.

Problem Management

Problem management helps to identify and eliminate the root causes of recurring incidents. In the context of DORA and NIS2, this process helps prevent future outages and ensures that vulnerabilities that cause incidents are effectively addressed.

Prevention is key to reducing the risk of recurring incidents and protecting critical systems.

Change Enablement

The Change process governs how changes to the IT environment are managed to ensure that they are implemented in a secure and controlled manner. This reduces the risk of changes leading to operational disruptions or security issues, which is crucial for compliance with DORA and NIS2.

Structured change management minimizes the risks of disruption and security issues.

Service Level Management (SLM)

SLM is essential for monitoring and following up on service level agreements (SLAs) with suppliers. An important part of DORA and NIS2 is to ensure that suppliers meet business continuity and security requirements. Through SLM, organizations can ensure that their suppliers meet critical service levels.

SLM ensures that suppliers' performance is in line with business-critical requirements and compliance.

Supplier Management

Supplier Management is about monitoring the risks and performance of suppliers. As both DORA and NIS2 require managing third-party risks, it is important to have a process in place to regularly review and monitor suppliers, especially when they manage business-critical systems.

Vendor management helps to minimize third-party risks that may affect IT operations.

Risk Management

Risk Management is central to identifying, assessing and managing risks to IT operations. In line with DORA and NIS2, organizations are required to have effective processes in place to identify threats and vulnerabilities and implement risk mitigation measures.

By proactively managing risks, the organization can reduce the likelihood of incidents and ensure compliance.

Business Continuity Management (BCM)

BCM focuses on maintaining business continuity during a crisis or disruption. DORA and NIS2 require organizations to have robust recovery plans to continue operations despite any disruption. With BCM, businesses can ensure that critical services are quickly restored.

BCM is essential to ensure business continuity in case of serious disruptions.

Executive summary

By implementing ITIL processes such as Incident Management, Change Management, Service Level Management and Business Continuity Management, organizations create a solid foundation to meet the requirements of DORA and NIS2. These processes help companies identify and manage risks, ensure continuity and protect critical systems from threats and disruptions.

DORA and NIS2 place high demands on digital resilience and cybersecurity. By following the ITIL framework, organizations can not only meet these requirements but also optimize their IT operations to ensure long-term sustainability and security in the digital world.

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