What Is Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) Compliance Cyber threats are rising and for Europe's financial sector, staying resilient is no longer optional. That’s where the Digital Operational Resilience Act, or DORA, comes in. It's a new regulation that sets the bar for cyber security and risk management across banks, insurers and other financial institutions in the EU. In this video, we’ll break down what DORA is all about, highlight its core requirements, and show you how to get your organization compliant. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne's IT Video Hub and our YouTube channel for more tech content like this. What is the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)? The Digital Operational Resilience Act— DORA—is a new EU law that helps financial institutions protect themselves from cyberattacks. Before DORA, banks and insurance companies mostly dealt with cyber risks by setting aside money to cover any damage. But that approach was reactive, not preventive. Since DORA was signed into law in 2023, financial organizations are now required to take real, proactive steps to stop cyber threats before they cause harm. Steps to achieve DORA compliance Here are the key steps on how to achieve DORA compliance. Conduct a compliance gap analysis Start by doing a gap analysis o compare your current setup with what DORA requires. Think of it like a Venn diagram that shows what's missing in your IT system. Pinpoint the differences, prioritize them by importance, and make clear, time- sensitive plans to close those gaps effectively. Establish an ICT risk management framework Next, set up a clear management structure and define who is responsible for what. Your DORA cybersecurity framework should: Clearly assign leadership roles Identify risks like ransomware or system outages. Put strategies in place to reduce those risks, such as firewalls or least-privilege access. Develop a robust incident response plan Things can go wrong at any time, so you need to be prepared around the clock. Here’s what DORA expects: Clearly define what counts as an incident, based on how often and how serious it is. Set clear steps to handle, reduce, and contain incidents— for both your team and outside partners. Collaborate with third-party providers to check for compliance Make sure any third-party vendors you work with meet DORA standards. Here's how. Check that they follow strong security and data protection practices. Include DORA requirements in your contracts. Regularly test and monitor for resilience Show that your system is secure by running in-depth tests that challenge its strength: Run full security tests once a year. Check for system weaknesses every four months. Use threat-led penetration testing (TLPT) to mimic real cyberattacks. Monitor how your system performs, stays online, and stays secure during tests. Analyze test results and update security protocols, recovery plans, and incident responses as needed. DORA sets stricter risk management rules for banks and financial companies in the EU. Its framework calls for strong IT risk leadership, quick and accurate incident reporting, regular security testing, careful checks on third- party vendors and clear information sharing. For more information, check out our official blog post on What Is Digital Operational Resilience Act, linked in the description below.