NIS 2 Business Continuity Requirements
Business continuity and crisis management are core requirements under NIS 2. Article 21(2)(c) specifically mandates that organizations implement business continuity measures, including backup management, disaster recovery, and crisis management procedures. These requirements ensure that critical services can be maintained or quickly restored after a cybersecurity incident.
Key Takeaways
| Point | Summary |
|---|---|
| Core requirement | Article 21(2)(c) mandates business continuity, backup management, and disaster recovery |
| Crisis management | Organizations must have crisis management structures and procedures |
| Testing | Plans must be regularly tested and updated |
| Proportionate | Measures must match the organization's risk profile and criticality |
| Integration | Business continuity should be integrated with incident response and risk management |
Quick Answer: NIS 2 requires organizations to implement comprehensive business continuity measures including backup management, disaster recovery plans, and crisis management procedures. These must be proportionate to the entity's risk profile, regularly tested, and kept up to date.
What NIS 2 Requires
Backup Management
Organizations must implement robust backup procedures:
| Requirement | Best Practice |
|---|---|
| Regular backups | Automated, scheduled backups of critical systems and data |
| Backup testing | Regular restoration testing to verify backup integrity |
| Secure storage | Off-site or isolated backup storage to protect against ransomware |
| Retention policies | Defined retention periods aligned with recovery objectives |
| Encryption | Encrypt backups to protect confidentiality |
Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery planning ensures systems can be restored after a major disruption:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Recovery Time Objective (RTO) | Maximum acceptable downtime for each critical service |
| Recovery Point Objective (RPO) | Maximum acceptable data loss measured in time |
| Recovery procedures | Documented step-by-step restoration processes |
| Infrastructure redundancy | Failover capabilities for critical systems |
| Communication plans | How to coordinate recovery activities |
Crisis Management
Organizations must have structures for managing crises:
- Crisis management team: Defined roles and responsibilities during a crisis
- Decision-making authority: Clear escalation and authorization processes
- Communication protocols: Internal and external communication during crises
- Coordination with authorities: Processes for engaging with national CSIRTs and competent authorities
- Stakeholder management: Communication with customers, partners, and the public
Developing a Business Continuity Program
Step 1: Business Impact Analysis
Identify your critical services and assess the impact of disruption:
| Question | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Which services are most critical? | Prioritize recovery efforts |
| What is the financial impact of downtime? | Justify investment in continuity measures |
| Which dependencies are most vulnerable? | Identify single points of failure |
| What is the maximum tolerable downtime? | Set recovery time objectives |
| Who are the key stakeholders? | Plan communication and coordination |
Step 2: Develop Continuity Plans
Create plans for each critical service:
- Document normal operations and key dependencies
- Define trigger criteria for activating the business continuity plan
- Specify recovery procedures and responsible personnel
- Identify alternative operating procedures during disruption
- Document resource requirements for recovery
Step 3: Implement Technical Measures
Deploy the infrastructure needed to support continuity:
- Automated backup systems with verified restoration
- Redundant infrastructure for critical systems
- Failover mechanisms (active-passive, active-active)
- Network resilience (multiple ISPs, geographic distribution)
- Emergency communication systems
Step 4: Test and Exercise
Regular testing validates that plans work in practice:
| Test Type | Frequency | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Backup restoration | Monthly | Verify data can be restored from backups |
| Tabletop exercise | Quarterly | Walk through scenarios with key personnel |
| Simulation exercise | Annually | Test recovery procedures in a controlled environment |
| Full failover test | Annually | Test actual failover to backup systems |
Step 5: Maintain and Improve
Business continuity is not a one-time effort:
- Review and update plans after every test or real incident
- Incorporate lessons learned from exercises and actual events
- Update plans when systems, services, or organizational structures change
- Ensure new employees understand their roles in continuity plans
Integration with NIS 2 Incident Response
Business continuity and incident response are closely linked under NIS 2:
| Phase | Incident Response | Business Continuity |
|---|---|---|
| Detection | Identify the incident | Assess impact on critical services |
| Response | Contain and investigate | Activate continuity measures |
| Recovery | Remediate the root cause | Restore services to normal operations |
| Reporting | Submit NIS 2 reports (24h/72h/1 month) | Report on service restoration status |
| Review | Analyze incident and response | Update continuity plans based on lessons learned |
Proportionality Considerations
NIS 2 requires measures to be proportionate. When designing business continuity:
| Factor | Lower Requirements | Higher Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Entity classification | Important entities | Essential entities |
| Service criticality | Support services | Core critical services |
| User impact | Limited user base | Large population affected |
| Sector dependencies | Standalone services | Sector-wide dependencies |
| Recovery complexity | Simple, repeatable systems | Complex, interconnected systems |
Common Questions
What recovery time objectives are acceptable under NIS 2?
NIS 2 does not prescribe specific RTOs. Recovery objectives should be proportionate to the criticality of the service and the potential impact of disruption. Essential entities providing services that society depends on (energy, healthcare, transport) should target shorter recovery times than entities providing less critical services.
Do we need a dedicated disaster recovery site?
Not necessarily. The approach depends on your risk assessment and the criticality of your services. Cloud-based disaster recovery, multi-region deployments, and managed DR services can provide effective alternatives to dedicated physical sites. The key is that your recovery capabilities match your defined RTOs and RPOs.
How does business continuity relate to ISO 27001?
ISO 27001 includes business continuity requirements in Annex A controls A.5.29 (ICT readiness for business continuity) and A.5.30 (ICT readiness for business continuity). Organizations with ISO 27001 certification will have a solid foundation, though NIS 2 may require more explicit crisis management structures and testing regimes than those implemented under ISO 27001 alone.