Navigating ISO 27001 and NIS 2 Compliance: How You Can Truly Secure Your Future

Achieving ISO 27001 and NIS 2 compliance can be a daunting venture, and once you’ve successfully implemented all the security measures and protocols, the job isn’t done.

Maintaining compliance is another challenge that requires continuous effort and strategic planning, especially in complex IT environments with data-intensive operations. To truly invest in the future of your business or organization, you should think beyond just ticking the boxes.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what this would entail, the complexities of achieving and maintaining compliance, the challenges involved, and the advantages of deploying your own tailor-made solutions over off-the-shelf services.

Dealing with Your Compliance Marathon

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and NIS 2 compliance involve addressing a wide range of organizational and technical challenges.

• Organizational challenges: You need sufficient resources to ensure ongoing compliance while balancing other operations. Additionally, managing different stakeholders within the organization is crucial, requiring effective communication and coordination across departments to align efforts towards compliance goals.
• Regulatory requirements: Compliance with regulatory requirements in different regions or industries requires complex security and data protection measures. Data privacy laws, such as GDPR, add another layer of complexity, especially when dealing with personal and sensitive data.
• Diverse technology components: The complexity of modern software development and IT infrastructures involves aspects such as microservices, containerization, CI/CD pipelines, diverse technology stacks, programming languages, third-party integrations, legacy systems, and complex cloud computing environments.
• Dynamic threat landscape: As software systems become more open and interconnected, they are also more vulnerable to security threats. The rapid evolution of cyber threats requires continuous monitoring and updating of security measures.

Shooting Yourself in the Foot by Just “Ticking the Boxes”

Confronted with the increasing costs and allocated resources needed to maintain compliance, some businesses and organizations might eventually decide to just go for a bare minimum.

But simply ticking the boxes to meet compliance requirements without integrating them into the core business processes is a short-sighted approach. It can lead to a false sense of security and leave you vulnerable to risks that could have been mitigated with a more thorough approach.

No Return on Investment

If you make it a “tick-the-box” exercise, it’s not an efficient use of your money. You won’t get the organizational or risk management benefits. You’ll end up with a lot of documents and people who have read them, but there will be little practical outcome, and you won’t gain much benefit.

Delaying the Inevitable

Ignoring comprehensive security measures and focusing only on meeting minimum compliance standards can lead to significant issues down the line. Security gaps will eventually be exploited, leading to potentially severe financial and reputational damage.

Compliance Convenience–The Common Misconceptions About Off-the-Shelf PaaS and SaaS Solutions

Many businesses and organizations assume that off-the-shelf Paas and SaaS solutions will simplify ISO 27001 and NIS 2 compliance requirements, and that they offer more advantages than tailor-made solutions. Let’s have a look at some common misconceptions:

“Off-the-shelf PaaS and Saas solutions are more secure”

Everything falls or stands with the proper implementation of tailor-made solutions in your business or organization. If a business has a hastily put-together customized solution with vulnerable components that runs on outdated on-premises servers, the PaaS or SaaS solution will definitely be more secure.

On the other hand, if we consider a business or organization that goes beyond ticking the boxes, with a well-implemented and professional tailor-made solution that embodies security and privacy by design, then your tailor-made solution will be ahead of the curve.

Moreover, off-the-shelf solutions offer generic security measures, which may not fully meet the specific risks identified in your risk assessment. Additionally, PaaS and SaaS platforms can introduce additional risks through third-party integrations, data transfer across jurisdictions, and the vendor-controlled security updates we mentioned earlier.

‘’Off-the-shelf solutions are cheaper’’

Many businesses and organizations opt for using PaaS and SaaS cloud solutions because, at the entry point, the initial cost of getting started is very low or even free. For small-scale rollouts or proofs-of-concept, this cloud model may initially be cheaper than setting up your own hardware servers.

But over time, costs associated with vendor lock-in, scaling fees, and limitations on customization can lead to higher expenses than initially anticipated. Moreover, because you don’t have any visibility and transparency on the underlying code and inner workings, you’re often dependent on expensive maintenance contracts.

‘’Off-the-shelf solutions are easier to maintain and update’’

Off-the-shelf PaaS and SaaS solutions are often seen as easier to use and maintain, especially for updates and patches. However, when it comes to continuity and control over systems, relying on vendor-managed updates can introduce risks. The recent worldwide outage due to a CrowdStrike update serves as a cautionary tale here.

You might not have control over when updates happen or how they impact your broader security controls, which could complicate compliance efforts. Additionally, forced updates may cause compatibility issues, which will require more resources.

How You Can Take Control By Establishing Your Future-Proof, Compliance Foundation

Now that we’ve discussed the compliance-related challenges and potential pitfalls of PaaS and SaaS solutions, let’s explore how you can make a difference by truly taking control of your end-to-end compliance journey.

Implement Security and Privacy by Design

The principles of security and privacy by design ensure that software solutions are developed with robust safety mechanisms from the ground up. By embedding security and privacy measures from the start, they are integral parts of your system’s architecture rather than afterthoughts.

Retrofitting existing systems to secure sensitive data — such as intellectual property, personal information, or other critical assets — is a complex and resource-intensive process. Security and privacy by design are always more effective and straightforward than attempting to secure a solution after it has already been built.

Integrate Risk Assessment Early in the Development Process

Begin by conducting thorough risk assessments at the earliest stages of project planning and development. This allows you to identify and mitigate potential threats before they evolve into vulnerabilities within your system.

Embed Security Controls in the System Design

Incorporate security controls directly into your system’s architecture. For example, the principle of least privilege should be enforced from the start, ensuring that users only have access to the data and resources necessary for their roles.

Prioritize Data Protection in Every Process

Integrate data protection measures throughout the entire lifecycle of data processing. Techniques like encryption of data at rest and in transit, as well as enforcing data access management policies, should be baked into every process, ensuring that your systems handle sensitive data in a way that is compliant by default.

Foster a Culture of Security and Privacy Awareness

Security and privacy by design require a cultural shift within your business or organization. Training on the importance of these principles ensures that all stakeholders are aligned with the compliance goals.

Deploy Your Own Platform

The principles of security and privacy by design align perfectly with deploying your own platform. Instead of relying on third-party services, which can additionally complicate supply chain verification, continuity, and cybersecurity measures, deploying your own cloud native, cloud agnostic platform offers many advantages over proprietary Saas and Paas solutions.

Enhanced Security

Full control over security protocols and configurations allows you to implement robust measures tailored to your specific risk profile. Because you are less reliant on third-party vendors, you are fully in control of your product lifecycle, and can more easily address vulnerabilities and implement updates.

Compliance Management and Audit Readiness

Platforms can be designed with built-in compliance features, streamlining the audit process. This includes automated compliance checks, comprehensive documentation, and real-time reporting capabilities to facilitate audit preparation and execution.

Data Access Management

When it comes to streamlining data protection measures, platforms can granularly enforce data access management aspects such as policy management, consent management, privacy management, and data usage management. Acting as information brokers, they maintain the confidentiality of data, manage user consents for data processing, and enforce policies across different environments.

Data Sovereignty and Privacy

Custom platforms can implement stricter privacy controls and data protection measures, ensuring adherence to both security standards and data protection laws such as GDPR. You have full control over where data is stored, processed, and transmitted, which can help meet specific data sovereignty requirements.

Another advantage is that privacy measures can be customized to suit the specific needs of your business or organization, or directly targeted towards specific risks identified during the data protection impact assessment.

Future-Proofing

A custom platform can be more easily adapted to future regulatory changes, ensuring ongoing compliance with evolving standards. Owning your platform allows for continuous innovation and the implementation of cutting-edge technologies to enhance security and compliance.

Cost Management

While initial development costs might be higher, long-term savings can be realized through reduced reliance on third-party solutions and avoiding potential fines for non-compliance.

By automating repetitive tasks, platforms reduce the need for manual work, which means lower labor costs and fewer mistakes. Plus, multitenancy implementations with shared resources and services mean companies can make the most of their infrastructure, saving even more money.

Centralize and Streamline Your Monitoring with Custom Log Aggregation Platforms

Common challenges in meeting ISO 27001 and NIS 2 requirements include establishing proper visibility and monitoring of your entire IT environment. You’re dealing with vast amounts of siloed log data, from numerous input sources and different systems.

The essential information is often hidden among a continuous flow of application log output, which can quickly become a huge bottleneck when generating essential reports. Another headache is the risk of logs containing sensitive information, including intellectual property, personal Identifiable Information, or security-sensitive information.

With log aggregation platforms, you ensure that you monitor your entire IT environment and respond swiftly to cyberattacks, while safeguarding sensitive data, and avoiding any privacy-related violations, amidst a data avalanche coming from siloed sources.

Centralize Your Logging

Aggregating logs from various sources into a centralized platform enhances visibility and monitoring. This significantly reduces the labor required to manually check log files across different devices, ensuring that all relevant activities are monitored and logged efficiently.

Quickly Detect Significant Incidents

With aggregated logging you can quickly identify significant incidents, especially in combination with a SIEM (Security Incident and Event Management) system to recognize potential security threats and vulnerabilities. This facilitates prompt reporting to Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) or competent authorities, which aligns with NIS 2’s requirements for timely incident notification and ongoing incident updates until resolution.

Leverage Real-Time Data Processing

Real-time data processing enables immediate detection and response to security events. This capability is important for meeting requirements for rapid incident response and mitigation. Real-time insights ensure that any potential threats are identified and addressed promptly, minimizing the impact of incidents.

Moreover, this facilitates timely compliance with NIS 2’s incident reporting obligations, including the need to provide initial notifications within 24 hours and detailed reports within 72 hours.

Enable Continuous Monitoring

Continuous monitoring and immediate feedback allow for the regular evaluation and adjustment of cybersecurity measures. This ensures that you can quickly adapt to new threats and regulatory changes, maintaining a strong security posture.

Adopt A Cloud Native and Cloud Agnostic Approach

Flexibility and Scalability

Cloud native applications are designed for flexibility and scalability. They leverage microservices and containerization, allowing you to easily scale operations and adapt to changing regulatory requirements and threats.

Cloud native solutions operate in a distributed manner, enhancing resilience. They can handle continuous changes in infrastructure without system breakdowns, ensuring that critical services remain operational during incidents, which aligns with the emphasis on business continuity.

Avoid Vendor Lock-In

By being cloud agnostic, organizations can avoid vendor lock-in and ensure service continuity. This independence allows for seamless migrations and operations between cloud providers and on-premises data centers, ensuring compliance with service continuity and disaster recovery requirements.

When it comes to NIS 2, the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts to specify which categories of entities are required to use certified ICT products, services, and processes. With a cloud agnostic approach, you will always be able to quickly migrate in case specific service providers would be blacklisted.

A cloud agnostic approach also helps in maintaining control over data, ensuring that compliance measures can be consistently applied regardless of the cloud or on-premises environment.

Hybrid and Multicloud Strategies

Utilizing multiple cloud environments increases redundancy and reduces the risk of service disruption. This strategy bridges the gap between on-premises and cloud environments, offering flexibility and control over where services are deployed.

In light of NIS 2 and GDPR for example, if you have personal information or private data, you want to keep it within European companies and within Europe, or even just on your own systems. If you act in a cloud native and cloud agnostic way, you can host them yourself at European hosting providers.

Consider Open Source Components

One of the key benefits of open source software is its transparency. Open source projects are developed in the public eye, allowing anyone to review and audit the code. This transparency is crucial for ISO 27001 and NIS 2 compliance as it ensures that:

• Security is Verified: Organizations can scrutinize the code to ensure there are no hidden vulnerabilities or backdoors.
• Compliance is Auditable: Regular audits can be performed to ensure adherence to NIS 2 requirements.

You can leverage open source software to build your own custom-made solutions, tailored to be fully compliant. Moreover, open source components open the door for a truly cloud native and cloud agnostic approach.

Conclusion

Navigating the complexities of ISO 27001 and NIS 2 compliance in intricate IT environments can be challenging, but with the right strategies and approaches, it is achievable and maintainable in the long run.

By investing in tailor-made solutions, potentially leveraging open source components, and adopting a cloud native and cloud agnostic approach, you can enhance your security, streamline compliance efforts, and future-proof your operations.

It’s crucial to do more than box-ticking and integrate compliance into core business processes to truly benefit from a robust security framework. In doing so, beyond protecting yourself against regulatory fines and security breaches, you build a foundation for sustainable growth and resilience to truly control your destiny.

About Klarrio

At Klarrio, we design cloud native, cloud agnostic software solutions to empower our customers to control their data, limit cloud costs, and optimize performance. We ensure flexibility for scalable platform building across various cloud and on-premises infrastructures, prioritizing privacy, security, and resilience by design.

We are platform pioneers at heart, with a proven track record in building self-service data platforms, Internal Developer Platforms, log aggregation platforms, and other innovative software solutions in various domains: from Telecom,Transportation & Logistics, Manufacturing, Public Sector, Healthcare to Entertainment.

Beyond technology, we actively collaborate and share knowledge, both in-house and together with our customers. True impact is achieved together.