New cyber and technology regulations may seem daunting, but their common goal is simple: to protect essential services and keep organizations running. The key is the principle of “invincibility” – build on risk management and continuity planning, not on fear of the adversary. Practical steps, digitization and automation can significantly reduce the stress and costs associated with audits.
New regulations without panic: let’s focus on the essentials
Although there are many regulations, the core is the same: manage risks and ensure business continuity. Coming into play are NIS2, the law on cybersecurity, the law on critical infrastructure, the AI Act, the Cyber Resilience Act, GDPR, and DORA. Instead of worry, it pays to adopt a strategy that does not guarantee “victory” under all circumstances, but minimizes vulnerability. That means setting up processes so that services survive incidents and recover quickly.
Practical approach: from mapping services to recovery plans
Start by understanding the regulations and mapping your own services, including dependencies on customers and suppliers – even an unregulated company can meet the requirements of a regulated client. Next comes asset inventory and risk analysis, which identifies the critical assets to focus on. Then come backup, recovery, and continuity plans — practical steps that shorten outages and protect key activities. It is also important to classify information (personal data, confidential information, trade secrets) and set appropriate safeguards.
Simplify, digitize, be ready for audits
It makes sense to address the analysis of security measures against standards only after mastering the basics; often you’ll have already met the bulk of the requirements. Plan for training people, ongoing monitoring, and timely preparation of audit materials so you’re not rummaging through dozens of e‑mails and files at the last minute. It helps to simplify the many requirements (e.g., from ISO 27001/27002) by grouping related measures and implementing them based on risk. Digitization with a central repository will make it easier to manage assets and risks, control the supply chain (auditing, scanning, OSINT) and support continuous improvement – and audits then aren’t a week of panic, but a review of well‑kept records.
