--- title: "Demystifying the NIS 2 Directive: Insights from Gartner®" description: The NIS 2 Directive introduces rigorous cybersecurity standards to help protect critical entities that provide essential services. canonical_url: https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/demystifying-the-nis-2-directive/ locale: en last_updated: 2026-10-11 --- [Acronis Blog](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/) # Demystifying the NIS 2 Directive: Insights from Gartner® The NIS 2 Directive introduces rigorous cybersecurity standards to help protect critical entities that provide essential services. Read the blog to learn Gartner’s recommendations for preparing for NIS 2, and get access to the report. [Access the tool](https://www.acronis.com/en/compliance/) [![Image 2: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png)](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/ "Acronis Editorial Team") [Acronis Editorial Team](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/authors/acronis/) 2 min read Last updated 18 November 2025 The European Union's (EU) NIS 2 Directive is set to reshape the cybersecurity landscape across 18 key sectors, including energy, transport, banking, health care, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, waste management and digital services. This new directive introduces rigorous cybersecurity standards to help protect critical entities that provide essential services. The primary goal of NIS 2 is to strengthen the resilience of network and information systems, which are crucial for the economy and societal functions. As per the Gartner® report, NIS 2’s goal is to mitigate threats to network and information systems used to provide essential services in key sectors by strengthening the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure operators and digital service providers, which are vital to the functioning of society and the economy. NIS 2 is also intended to encourage cooperation and information sharing between national authorities and between operators and service providers in order to enhance the overall cybersecurity of the EU. [![Image 3: Is your business ready for NIS 2 compliance?](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/fabda02ed3a113b804c74652dee4c6d0.png) White Paper Is your business ready for NIS 2 compliance? Download the white paper](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/nis-2-briefing-for-businesses/) **Key deadlines and global trends** EU member states must integrate these new NIS 2 measures into national law by October 2024, and organizations must comply by October 18, 2024. Similar regulations are emerging in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, highlighting a global trend towards enhancing cybersecurity resilience amid evolving threats. **Preparing for NIS 2 compliance** To ensure compliance, security and risk management (SRM) leaders should: 1. Determine if their organization falls under the NIS 2 requirements. 2. Prioritize risk management, accountability, reporting and business continuity. 3. Develop a robust response plan for cyberattacks, including recovery and communication strategies. **Stay ahead: Download the white paper** To learn more about how to prepare for the NIS 2 Directive and its impact on your organization, download the white paper. This resource provides high-level guidance on how to navigate these new requirements and strengthen your cybersecurity posture. [![Image 4: Is your business ready for NIS 2 compliance?](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/fabda02ed3a113b804c74652dee4c6d0.png) White Paper Is your business ready for NIS 2 compliance? Download the white paper](https://www.acronis.com/en/resource-center/resource/nis-2-briefing-for-businesses/) [Cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cybersecurity/) [Cyber protection](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/cyber-protection/) [MSP cybersecurity](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/msp-cybersecurity/) [Compliance](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/tags/compliance/) ## Written by ![Image 5: Acronis Editorial Team](https://staticfiles.acronis.com/images/content/d85707ae91461544212d39836dc32b42.png) Acronis Editorial Team Acronis is a global cyber protection company that provides natively integrated cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management for managed service providers (MSPs), small and medium businesses (SMBs), and enterprise IT departments. [Previous post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/evaluating-edr-and-mdr-whats-the-right-choice-for-resource-constrained-msps/) [Evaluating EDR and MDR: What’s the right choice for MSPs?](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/evaluating-edr-and-mdr-whats-the-right-choice-for-resource-constrained-msps/) [Next post](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/av-test-reveals-acronis-delivers-best-windows-performance/) [AV-TEST reveals Acronis delivers best Windows performance](https://www.acronis.com/en/blog/posts/av-test-reveals-acronis-delivers-best-windows-performance/) About Acronis Acronis is a leader in AI-native cyber protection, unifying data protection, cybersecurity, IT operations and hybrid infrastructure to deliver business continuity, security and compliance with less cost and complexity. More than 21,000 service providers trust Acronis to protect over 750,000 businesses in 150 countries. Acronis is headquartered in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. 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