ISO 27001, NIS2 and DORA: Building Sustainable Cyber Compliance in 2026

2026: The Year of Regulatory Structuring for Cybersecurity

February 2026 marks the end of the grace period. With the effective application of NIS2 and DORA, cybersecurity has shifted from a technical issue to a legal obligation of results. Much like the GDPR in its time, these regulations now impose full traceability. Companies must no longer merely be protected; they must be able to demonstrate their resilience at any moment, under the threat of severe sanctions.

In this context, many organisations are asking themselves the same question: how can they effectively meet these new obligations without multiplying initiatives, audits, and tools?

The ISO/IEC 27001 standard therefore appears as a structuring foundation, capable of federating the requirements of NIS2, DORA, and other regulatory frameworks around a coherent and sustainable Information Security Management System (ISMS).

This article analyses the links between ISO 27001, NIS2, and DORA, and explains how organisations can rely on the international standard to build compliant, robust, and business-oriented cybersecurity.

NIS2 and DORA: Strong Requirements That Can Be Difficult to Operationalise

The NIS2 Directive significantly expands the scope of the entities concerned: SMEs, mid-sized companies, operators of essential services, digital service providers, local authorities, industrial players, and more. All must now implement:

• A formalised cybersecurity governance
• Documented risk management
• Appropriate technical and organisational measures
• Incident management and notification procedures
• Regular controls and audits

For its part, DORA imposes a strict framework for digital operational resilience on financial entities and their critical service providers: resilience testing, third-party risk management, business continuity, and major incident reporting.

While these texts are clear in terms of objectives, their operational implementation remains complex. Many organisations face a major difficulty: where to start, and how to structure compliance sustainably?

ISO 27001: A Recognised Methodological Framework to Structure Compliance

Unlike NIS2 and DORA, ISO/IEC 27001 is not a regulation but an international standard. It defines the requirements for implementing an ISMS based on a risk-based approach, continuous improvement, and governance.

In practical terms, ISO 27001 makes it possible to:

• Identify and classify cyber risks
• Define security policies and procedures
• Implement technical and organisational controls
• Raise awareness and accountability among employees
• Measure the effectiveness of security measures
• Document all actions (a key element for audits)

It is precisely this logic of structuring, traceability, and governance that makes ISO 27001 an excellent foundation for meeting the requirements of NIS2 and DORA.

ISO 27001 and NIS2: Strong Complementarity

Many NIS2 requirements directly correspond to the various clauses of the ISO 27001 standard:

• The risk management required by NIS2 is at the core of the standard
• Cyber governance obligations (roles, responsibilities, management involvement) are formalised within the ISMS
• Incident protection, detection, and response measures are covered by Annex A of ISO 27001
• Documentation required by authorities naturally becomes an output of the ISO system

Thus, an organisation certified under ISO 27001 (or engaged in the certification process) already has a solid foundation to demonstrate compliance with NIS2, provided that certain controls are adapted to regulatory specificities.

ISO 27001 as a Lever for DORA Compliance

Within the DORA ecosystem, ISO 27001 becomes far more than a standard: it is a true commercial passport. For IT service providers working with the financial sector, certification is the fastest way to meet third-party risk management requirements. It inherently structures business continuity and major incident reporting, enabling organisations to meet their banking clients’ audit requirements without reinventing the wheel for every questionnaire.

Although ISO 27001 does not cover all DORA requirements (in particular advanced resilience testing), the standard constitutes an essential foundation for structuring processes and facilitating the integration of the regulation’s specific requirements.

Practical Case: Avoiding the Stacking of Frameworks and Audits

Treating NIS2, DORA, and ISO 27001 in silos is the most costly mistake of 2026. It generates documentation fatigue for teams and an explosion of audit costs. Conversely, an integrated approach transforms the ISMS into a single compliance hub: risk analysis is performed only once, and a single set of evidence is produced to meet multiple regulatory frameworks.

An integrated approach makes it possible to:

• Pool risk analyses
• Harmonise security policies
• Centralise cybersecurity governance
• Reduce redundant audits
• Improve clarity for authorities and partners

This is precisely the approach adopted by the most mature organisations in 2026.

Practical Checklist: Using ISO 27001 to Accelerate Compliance

☑ Perform a gap analysis between your current practices, ISO 27001, NIS2, and DORA

☑ Structure and/or strengthen your ISMS

☑ Map your cyber risks and critical assets

☑ Formalise roles (CISO, management, business teams)

☑ Implement incident management and business continuity procedures

☑ Test responsiveness, ensuring that the ISMS supports the ultra-short notification deadlines (24h/72h) imposed by NIS2 and DORA

☑ Audit critical service providers and suppliers

☑ Train and raise awareness among employees

☑ Document and manage security within a continuous improvement approach

ISO 27001: A Strategic Investment, Not Just a Certification

In 2026, ISO 27001 should no longer be viewed as a simple certification to obtain. It is above all the backbone that allows organisations to absorb new regulatory constraints without exhaustion. Faced with increasingly stringent audits and growing transparency requirements, having a structured method is a tangible and reassuring asset for organisations.

By demonstrating genuine control over their risks, companies do more than simply “tick boxes”: they strengthen the trust of their entire ecosystem. Using ISO as a foundation for NIS2 and DORA is ultimately a common-sense choice to build cybersecurity that stands the test of time.

Need a diagnostic on your ISO/NIS2/DORA convergence?

Our experts support you in simplifying your governance and securing your compliance: https://www.dpo-consulting.com/cybersecurity-compliance

SOURCES

European Commission – NIS2 Directive (EU 2022/2555)
Official text, scope of application, objectives, and obligations for essential and important entities.

European Commission – Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
Official text of the DORA Regulation, digital resilience requirements, and supervision of critical service providers.

ANSSI – French National Cybersecurity Agency
Practical guides on cybersecurity governance, incident management, NIS2, and security best practices.

Mon Espace NIS2
Official ANSSI resource dedicated to NIS2

ISO – ISO/IEC 27001:2022
Official presentation of the ISO 27001 standard, ISMS principles, and certification benefits.

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