?? Cybersecurity Project with Agile Framework: A Business Case for DS Futura (NIS 2 and DORA Compliant)

?? Introduction

In an era of increasing regulatory oversight, cybersecurity has become a critical priority. For DS Futura, adopting an Agile framework for its cybersecurity strategy allowed for compliance with stringent regulations like NIS 2 (Network and Information Systems Directive) and DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act), ensuring both operational security and regulatory adherence. This business case showcases how DS Futura successfully integrated these regulations into its cybersecurity project while maintaining flexibility and scalability.

?? Project Background

The cybersecurity landscape is increasingly governed by regulations such as the NIS 2 Directive, which demands high security standards for network and information systems, and DORA, aimed at ensuring digital resilience in financial institutions. DS Futura took a proactive approach to comply with these regulations, focusing on:

• Enhancing digital resilience while mitigating risks associated with third-party service providers.
• Implementing security patches and updates that comply with NIS 2 standards.
• Ensuring real-time monitoring to respond swiftly to incidents in line with DORA’s operational resilience requirements.

?? Why Agile for Cybersecurity?

Agile methodologies provided the perfect framework for DS Futura to meet these regulatory challenges, offering:

• Rapid compliance with evolving regulations by breaking down large compliance tasks into manageable sprints.
• Improved collaboration between security, compliance, and business teams, ensuring NIS 2 and DORA directives were considered in every decision.
• Adaptability to emerging threats and regulatory changes.

?? Project Structure

?? Tech Stack Used

To comply with NIS 2 and DORA, DS Futura adopted a modern tech stack, including:

• Cloud Infrastructure: AWS for secure, compliant cloud services.
• CI/CD Tools: Jenkins and GitLab for continuous integration and delivery, ensuring compliance updates are rapidly deployed.
• Security Platforms:Splunk for log management and meeting NIS 2 reporting requirements.Palo Alto Networks for comprehensive threat prevention.CrowdStrike Falcon for endpoint protection and vulnerability management.Nessus for NIS 2-compliant vulnerability scanning.
• Collaboration Tools: Jira and Confluence for documenting compliance processes, ensuring transparency for auditors.

?? Budget Allocation (€)

The project budget was allocated with a focus on meeting the technical and operational requirements of NIS 2 and DORA:

• Total Project Budget: €700,000Tech Stack and Compliance Tools: €280,000 (Licenses, security tools, and compliance management platforms).Personnel: €230,000 (Security engineers, compliance officers, DevSecOps engineers).Training & Compliance Programs: €120,000 (Ensuring all staff understand NIS 2, DORA, and internal compliance procedures).Contingency for Emerging Threats: €70,000 (For unexpected regulatory requirements or security incidents).

?? Backlog Management

To stay compliant with NIS 2 and DORA, the project’s backlog was updated to prioritize compliance-based tasks:

• Critical Compliance Tasks:Implementing data encryption protocols in line with DORA’s requirements.Enhancing incident reporting systems for NIS 2 compliance.Conducting regular audits and risk assessments to align with both NIS 2 and DORA.

? Execution & Key Agile Techniques

?? Scrum & Kanban Boards

DS Futura employed Scrum for overarching project management, breaking down compliance requirements into sprint-sized tasks, while Kanban boards ensured real-time visibility of tasks that addressed specific compliance issues under NIS 2 and DORA.

? Continuous Integration & Delivery (CI/CD)

Automated CI/CD pipelines were crucial in maintaining regulatory compliance:

• Jenkins and GitLab ensured that all compliance-related updates and patches were integrated into the system rapidly.
• Automated Testing ensured that security protocols met the standards of both NIS 2 and DORA before deployment.

?? Security and Compliance Protocols

Compliance with NIS 2 and DORA was maintained through the following key protocols:

• Data Encryption and Anonymization: Meeting the standards set by NIS 2 to protect sensitive data.
• Incident Reporting: Real-time incident reporting to comply with NIS 2 requirements for swift notification of breaches.
• Operational Resilience Testing: Ensuring DS Futura met DORA’s demands for resilience in the face of cybersecurity incidents by simulating attacks and ensuring systems remained operational.
• Zero-Trust Architecture: Ensuring only authorized personnel had access to sensitive data and systems, as required by DORA.

?? Challenges Faced & Solutions

? Challenge 1: Rapidly Changing Regulatory Requirements

NIS 2 and DORA are relatively new regulations, and changes or updates to their requirements occurred during the project. By using Agile, the team was able to quickly adjust the backlog and sprint goals to stay compliant.

? Challenge 2: Compliance Across Multiple Teams

Ensuring that all teams (IT, security, legal, and operations) were aligned on NIS 2 and DORA requirements was a challenge. Through Agile ceremonies like sprint reviews and cross-functional retrospectives, DS Futura kept all stakeholders informed and engaged, reducing miscommunication.

?? Results & Key Metrics

• Increased Compliance: DS Futura achieved 100% compliance with NIS 2 and DORA regulations, verified through third-party audits.
• Faster Incident Response: The ability to respond to security incidents improved by 40%, ensuring that NIS 2 reporting requirements were consistently met within the mandated timeframes.
• Operational Resilience: DS Futura passed all operational resilience tests under DORA, demonstrating the robustness of its digital infrastructure.
• Cost Savings: By adopting an Agile framework, DS Futura was able to complete the project 8% under budget, saving €56,000, which was reallocated for future compliance projects.

?? Conclusion & Next Steps

DS Futura's Agile-driven cybersecurity project demonstrated not only improved digital resilience but also ensured full compliance with both NIS 2 and DORA. This framework allowed the organization to address regulatory requirements dynamically, ensuring a high level of security while maintaining operational flexibility.

Next Steps:

• Expanding NIS 2-Compliant Monitoring to other departments and international offices.
• Regular DORA Resilience Testing to ensure ongoing digital operational resilience.
• Further Employee Engagement and Training to continue improving security awareness and regulatory compliance.