In brief: The formal NIS2 implementation has been completed by many companies, but the real test of whether these processes actually work in a genuine incident is still ahead.
Many companies have appointed NIS2 officers, reported contact details to authorities and formally closed internal projects. However, this does not mark the end of the obligation — it marks the beginning of the actual challenge: the ongoing demonstration of security measures that function in everyday practice.
After months of checklists, legal assessments and scope reviews, numerous organizations have completed their formal NIS2 implementation: responsible persons have been appointed, contact details have been submitted to the competent authority (in Austria, for example, referenced to the BSI), and projects have been marked internally as complete. However, this formal fulfillment creates the temptation to move the topic out of immediate operational focus as soon as the reporting obligations have been met.
For CISOs, this is a deceptive point. NIS2 requires not only one-off reports and designated contacts, but continuous risk management measures, robust incident detection and reporting, and evidence of the actual effectiveness of implemented controls. The formal compliance phase was the easier part; the practical test of these processes in a genuine incident is still to come. Supervisory authorities will not only review documentation but will increasingly also assess actual implementation and responsiveness in the event of an incident.
For those responsible for security within companies, this concretely means that the phase is now beginning in which it will become clear whether the implemented reporting and response processes actually work in a genuine incident. Regular exercises, tests of reporting channels and an honest assessment of the maturity levels of the measures introduced should be prioritized, rather than relying on the formal completion of implementation. The real test of NIS2 conformity does not take place at a desk — it takes place in a genuine incident.
Source: itwelt.at · Published August 4, 2026
Lumi AI News — AI-assisted curation in accordance with Art. 50 EU AI Act. Paraphrasing and classification by Lumi News Pipeline v1.8.3.