The growing risks related to Cyber Security have led institutions to strengthen the regulations in this area in order to activate companies on the issue, including the NIS2 directive (Network and Information Systems Directive 2), which came into force on 16 January 2023. Numerous tools have therefore been included to raise awareness and make all European organizations responsible for cyber security and push them to take concrete actions for the prevention, strengthening and protection from different types of attacks.
NIS2 requirements and challenges for organisations
Similar to the GDPR in the privacy field, NIS2 requires companies to manage the issue of information security. While it provides some general and exemplary indications, it doesn’t provide detailed technical indications regarding the actions to be taken, but it imposes processes for the analysis of security risks and for the implementation of mitigation and prevention measures. Compliance consists in the ability to analyze risks, adopt proportionate security measures and the ability to manage any incidents.
Scope of NIS2
The NIS2 has a broad scope. Organisations operating in “critical” sectors are subject to mandatory and stringent compliance, including: Banking and Finance, Healthcare, Transport, Energy supply and production, Digital Infrastructure operators, B2B ICT service providers (e.g., Data Centres, Cloud), central and local Public Administrations with high economic or social impact, Utility providers, and the operators of related Distribution Networks. Additional sectors will also be involved in due course.
The first preparatory actions will have to be carried out within this year, with the implementation part following in 2026. By 1st January 2026, organisations involved must be capable of meeting incident notification obligations, and by October 2026, they must comply specifically with risk management and security measure implementation requirements.
Strategies to strengthen cybersecurity
Speaking of risk mitigation, some of the actions that organizations can take to strengthen security from every perspective range from networks protection (e.g., firewalls), endpoint security (e.g., antivirus software), access control (e.g., IAM identity management, MFA authentication), communication security (e.g., VPN, adoption of the latest TLS standards), alongside processes (e.g., tools for ongoing maintenance and resilience in the event of attacks), to human factors (e.g., training to maintain security, processes and activities to prevent risky, even unintentional, behaviours by end users).
The EUC Model: an effective solution for NIS2 compliance
The End User Computing (EUC) model enables centralised management of corporate IT resources, improving security. It allows organisations to monitor user activity across all devices and apply uniform security measures at all endpoints. This approach also facilitates the tracking of accesses and activities, an essential element for compliance with NIS2 in the event of incidents to which the organization must be able to respond by identifying the origin of the problem.
VDI infrastructures: centralisation and control for enhanced security
VDI infrastructures centralise the management of desktops and applications, reducing the risk of errors in the management and configuration of individual devices, thus increasing security. Centralisation allows for the consistent enforcement of security policies, perform maintenance and updates continuously, preventing security issues and improving data protection. It also allows to standardize access authentication, regardless of device or location. In addition, Cloud-based VDI solutions are scalable and resilient, ideal for meeting the needs introduced by NIS2.
Thin clients: secure access to corporate resources
Thin clients are minimal devices that access centralised resources without storing data locally, thereby reducing the attack surface and the risk of compromising sensitive data. They’re easy to manage, configure and update, making security maintenance operations more efficient and are ideal for secure access to cloud resources.
Solutions to meet requirements
Adopting thin clients, combined with VDI and Cloud infrastructures, provides an effective strategy for enhancing cybersecurity and reducing risks associated with cyberattacks. Discover how solutions such as those offered by Praim meet NIS2 requirements, ensuring operational efficiency and resilience.
