Imagine this: It's a crisp morning in 2026. Your manufacturing plant in Germany suddenly goes dark. Machines freeze. Production lines halt. Within hours, a ransomware note appears on every screen, demanding millions or your customer data will be posted to the dark web. Sound dramatic? It's not fiction. In 2025 alone, Europe saw hundreds of major ransomware incidents, with groups like Qilin dominating headlines and supply chain attacks surging dramatically. The real twist? Many of these companies were caught completely unprepared, despite the rules to prevent exactly this scenario having been on the books for years.
Welcome to the era of NIS2! The EU's game-changing cybersecurity directive is no longer a distant future obligation. As of early 2026, it's live, enforceable, and coming for thousands of organizations across the continent. As of January 2026, with transposition finally complete (or nearly complete) in all 27 EU member states, the era of excuses is over: NIS2 applies automatically to all medium-sized and large companies operating in 18 defined sectors. That means: no more waiting for national authorities to hand-pick "operators of essential services" like under the old NIS1.
The rule is simple and ruthless: if your organization has at least 50 employees AND €10 million annual turnover (or €10 million balance sheet), and you operate in one of the listed sectors (or provide services inside the EU), you are in scope: automatically classified as either an essential entity (strictest supervision, proactive audits) or important entity (still serious, but mostly reactive checks).
| Category | Supervision level | Typical examples of sectors covered |
|---|---|---|
| Essential entities | Stricter (proactive supervision, audits, binding instructions) | Energy, transport, banking (though many under DORA), health, drinking water, digital infrastructure, public electronic communications, space |
| Important entities | Lighter supervision (mostly reactive) | Postal & courier services, waste & wastewater management, food production / processing / distribution, manufacturing of critical products (e.g., medical devices, electronics, machinery, chemicals), public administration (central/regional), certain digital services (managed service providers, social platforms, etc.) |
The original NIS Directive (2016) was a gentle nudge toward better cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. And what is NIS2? It's a full-on shove.
Adopted in January 2023 and fully applicable since October 2024, NIS2 dramatically expands the scope from a handful of "essential" operators to around 18 sectors, and thousands of medium-to-large companies in the following sectors:
Essential entities (Annex I: high criticality sectors):
Important entities (Annex II: other critical sectors):
Many organizations that thought "this doesn't apply to us" are discovering registration deadlines approaching fast, in some countries as early as April 2026.
And the personal twist? Management can now be held personally liable. Yes, fines, bans, and reputational damage can land directly on executives who fail to approve and oversee cybersecurity measures.
Crucially, certain ultra-critical services fall under NIS2, regardless of company size, such as DNS providers, trust service providers, or top-level domain registries. And if you're a non-EU company (US, UK, Asian, etc.) providing cloud, managed services, or any in-scope digital service to customers inside the EU? You're caught, too! You must appoint an EU representative and comply fully.
In short: if you keep society's lights on, wheels turning, people healthy, or data flowing, and you're not a micro-company, NIS2 is now your personal responsibility in 2026. The national registries are being finalised right now, and the first registration / self-identification deadlines are hitting as early as spring. Ignore it at your peril: the fines are real, the audits are coming, and for the first time, CEOs and board members can be held personally liable. This is not a drill.
The Real-World Threat Landscape: Why You Can't Wait Any Longer
Europe isn't just talking about cyber risks. It's living them.
Some examples that happened in 2025:
The cost? Billions in downtime, data leaks, and lost trust. And NIS2 was designed exactly for this moment, forcing companies to manage supply chain risks, implement 10 minimum security measures, and report incidents lightning-fast:
Miss these? Expect audits, fines up to €10 million (or 2% of global turnover, whichever hurts more), and for essential entities, even stricter proactive supervision.
No more vague "best practices." NIS2 spells them out clearly:
Implementing these isn't optional in 2026; it's survival.
Here's the silver lining: NIS2 isn't just red tape. Organizations that embrace it are emerging stronger.
Many forward-thinking companies are already aligning with ISO 27001 or NIST frameworks, covering 80% of NIS2 requirements, and turning compliance into a selling point for customers who demand secure partners.
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Transposition is uneven (some countries, like Finland and Italy, are ahead, others are still catching up), but enforcement is ramping up fast. Audits are starting. Registration windows are closing. And the next big attack is always just one unpatched vulnerability away.
The question isn't "Will NIS2 affect my business?", it's "How fast can we turn this obligation into an opportunity?"
Don't wait for the knock on the door from your national authority. Start your gap analysis today. Train your board. Map your supply chain. Test your backups. Because in the digital age, cybersecurity isn't a cost center. It's the foundation of trust, continuity, and survival. The NIS2 era has begun. The question is: Will your organization lead it or be left behind? Stay vigilant. Stay resilient. The future is digital, and it's counting on us.
Want to know more about NIS2? Watch our YouTube video, NIS2 Gets Real, to learn more about NIS2.
Pictures / Logos from pixabay.com and NUCIDA Group
Article written and published by Torsten Zimmermann