NIS2 and GDPR: What additional requirements apply to you?
As an EU company, GDPR already applies to you. NIS2 adds cybersecurity requirements on top. Here is how to leverage the synergies between both regulations.
Überblick
The GDPR has been binding EU law since May 2018, mandatory for every company processing personal data of EU citizens. This applies to virtually all companies in the EU. With fines of up to 4% of annual turnover or EUR 20 million, compliance is not optional.
The NIS2 Directive complements the GDPR with comprehensive cybersecurity requirements. It targets approximately 30,000 companies in Germany classified as critical or important entities, requiring concrete security measures with personal liability for managing directors.
Important: NIS2 and GDPR are not alternatives. GDPR is your obligation as an EU company. If you also fall under NIS2, additional security requirements apply. Both regulations overlap in many areas, such as incident reporting, risk management, and technical safeguards.
The good news: companies already GDPR-compliant have a solid foundation for NIS2. Many measures can be reused or extended rather than built from scratch.
NIS2 vs. GDPR im Vergleich
| Kriterium | NIS2 | GDPR |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Critical and important infrastructure | All companies processing personal data |
| Certification | No specific certification | Data protection certificates recommended |
| Legal Liability | Personal liability for directors | Financial sanctions |
| Costs | Variable by industry | Consulting costs for data protection |
| Effective Date | From October 2024 | Since May 2018 |
| Industry Focus | Energy, healthcare, transport | Cross-industry |
| Audit Type | Internal controls and reports | External data protection audits |
| Fines/Consequences | Personal liability for directors | Up to 4% of turnover or EUR 20M |
Gemeinsamkeiten
Risk Assessment
Both NIS2 and GDPR require thorough risk assessments of IT systems. Implementing a comprehensive risk assessment for NIS2 already fulfils key GDPR requirements.
Incident Reporting
Both regulations require reporting security incidents. Incident reporting processes can be designed similarly, allowing you to leverage synergies in implementation.
Defined Responsibilities
NIS2 and GDPR require clear responsibilities within the organisation. A one-time definition and assignment of responsibilities can satisfy both regulations.
Security Measures
Security measures for cyber and data protection are required in both frameworks. Implementing security protocols for NIS2 also covers many GDPR requirements.
Zentrale Unterschiede
Scope
NIS2 applies specifically to critical and important infrastructure, while the GDPR applies to all companies processing EU citizens' data.
Certification
NIS2 does not require specific certification, whereas the GDPR encourages data protection certificates as proof of compliance.
Legal Liability
NIS2 introduces personal liability for managing directors, while the GDPR primarily focuses on financial penalties.
Costs
NIS2 implementation costs vary by company size and type, while GDPR costs are often driven by data protection consulting services.
Industry Focus
NIS2 targets specific sectors such as energy, healthcare, and transport, whereas the GDPR applies across all industries.
Welchen Standard wählen?
GDPR is not a choice. As a company in the EU processing personal data, you are legally required to comply. That is the baseline.
NIS2 comes on top if your company is classified as a critical or important entity, for example in energy, healthcare, transport, finance, or digital infrastructure. Then you must demonstrate comprehensive cybersecurity measures alongside data protection.
For most affected companies this means: you need both. With Kopexa, you can address both regulations in parallel through cross-framework mapping and reuse measures you have already implemented for GDPR directly for NIS2.
Synergien: Beide Standards effizient umsetzen
Since GDPR is already mandatory, NIS2 is about extending existing measures rather than starting from scratch. For example, your GDPR-compliant risk assessment already covers a large part of the NIS2 risk management requirements.
There are also overlaps in incident reporting: GDPR requires notification within 72 hours for data breaches, NIS2 within 24 hours for security incidents. If you already have a GDPR-compliant reporting process, you only need to extend it.
Kopexa provides cross-framework mapping that shows you which of your existing GDPR measures already cover NIS2 requirements. This way you avoid duplicate work and close only the remaining gaps.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
NIS2 + GDPR with one tool
Leverage Kopexa's cross-framework mapping to efficiently comply with both standards.
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