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NIS2 Directive in Spain: Everything You Need to Know to Comply with the Regulation

How to Adapt Your Organization to the NIS2 Directive: Practical Keys for CIOs and IT Teams

Cybersecurity has never been as crucial as it is now. With the increase in digital threats, essential sectors such as energy, healthcare, or transport have become top targets for cybercriminals.

To respond to this challenge, the European Union approved the NIS2 Directive in 2022, which establishes stricter protection requirements for critical infrastructures in member states and imposes new rules for entities managing these essential services. In parallel, the 2025 Global Threat Report from CrowdStrike, one of the benchmark reports in the cybersecurity sector, reveals that in electronic cybercrime activities, attackers take an average of only 48 minutes to compromise a system after initial access, reflecting the increasing speed and sophistication of digital threats.

As explained in an article by Eusebio Nieva, Technical Director of Check Point Software for Spain and Portugal:

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The NIS2 regulation in Spain aims to ensure that entities protect their systems against attacks and respond effectively to incidents. Although adapting to its requirements may seem challenging, with the right information and tools, complying with the NIS2 directive in Spain is a real opportunity to strengthen digital resilience.

In this article, we explore what the NIS2 cybersecurity regulation entails, which critical sectors it affects, and how to prepare your company for its entry into force in Spain.

FlexxClient provides your employees with technological experiences that ensure business continuity securely and deliver measurable results for your company. Request a demo now.

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Table of Contents:

1. What is the NIS2 Directive Spain and when did it come into force?

2. Who is required to comply with the NIS2 Directive Spain?

3. NIS2 Transposition in Spain: How to Comply.

4. Periodic Risk Assessments.

5. Develop and Implement Robust Security Policies.

6. Cybersecurity Incident Management.

7. Cybersecurity Training and Awareness.

8. Incident Notification and Communication.

9. How to Comply with the NIS2 Directive Spain?

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1. What is the NIS2 Directive Spain and when did it come into force?

The NIS2 directive in Spain introduces a decisive change in NIS2 cybersecurity by requiring companies to strengthen the protection of their critical systems and adopt a proactive mindset against emerging threats.

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What is the NIS2 directive?
It is the new European legislation that establishes common measures to strengthen cybersecurity in critical sectors such as energy, healthcare, transport, and digital infrastructure. Its goal is to improve the resilience of public and private entities against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.

When did the NIS2 Directive come into force?
The regulation was approved in 2022 and came into force in Spain on October 17, 2024, initiating its NIS2 transposition process in January 2025. This date marks a milestone for all organizations operating in strategic sectors in our country.

Complying with the European NIS2 regulation is a legal obligation and a strategic opportunity to strengthen digital resilience. Adapting to the NIS2 cybersecurity regulation implies implementing continuous risk assessments, developing strict data protection policies, and ensuring a swift response to any security incident.

Moreover, adapting to the NIS2 Directive implies meeting regulatory obligations and anticipating risks. As summarized by Joris van Oers, Managing Director of International Markets at BT, a British multinational telecommunications company based in London:

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In this scenario, platforms like Flexxible play a key role. By centralizing and managing the workplace, it provides the necessary tools to ensure a secure, adaptable infrastructure ready to guarantee business continuity in the face of any disruption.
By enabling real-time monitoring and integration with intelligent tools, it allows IT Directors to make informed decisions and mitigate risks before they escalate. This is especially valuable for CIOs looking for efficient and secure technological solutions to meet NIS2 requirements.

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2. Who is required to comply with the NIS2 Directive?

The NIS2 directive affects large and medium-sized companies (with more than 50 employees or a balance sheet exceeding 43 million euros) operating in essential sectors, as well as important entities whose service interruption could compromise national security or economic stability.

The scope of application also extends to the entire digital supply chain associated with critical infrastructures, including service providers and third parties playing a relevant role in the operation of essential systems.

Affected organizations must protect their critical assets and demonstrate to authorities that they apply risk management measures, constant monitoring, and immediate incident notification.

To do this, it is essential to clearly define cybersecurity roles and responsibilities within the business structure, especially among IT and information security managers.

Failure to comply with the obligations imposed by NIS2 may result in penalties of up to 2% of global annual turnover or 10 million euros, in addition to legal liability for management bodies, as outlined in Articles 32 and 34 of Directive (EU) 2022/2555. This new approach reinforces cybersecurity as a strategic priority for both the private sector and public administration.

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3. NIS2 Transposition in Spain:

How to Comply

The transposition of NIS2 in Spain is a crucial step to ensure that entities comply with the new standards in the coming years.

Through this process, Spanish authorities adapt the European regulation to national legislation, which means that entities in Spain must be prepared to meet the requirements established in the NIS2 cybersecurity regulation.

In this context, Flexxible offers solutions that facilitate compliance with several specific sections of the NIS2 directive. Specifically, it helps in areas such as Asset Inventory (Art. 21-I), Vulnerability Management (Art. 21-E), and Incident Management (Art. 21-B), which are fundamental to comply with the technical requirements of the regulation.

Next steps for organizations include identifying critical assets, strengthening data protection policies, and implementing incident response strategies, ensuring that every system user is properly protected against potential risks.

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4. Periodic Risk Assessments

One of the first and most important obligations of NIS2 is to carry out periodic risk assessments to identify vulnerabilities in the entities' information systems. This step is crucial to implement corrective measures before risks materialize into a cyberattack.

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How to do it:

· Identify critical assets: The best strategy is to create a complete inventory of the most critical systems, networks, and data for your operation.

· Assess threats and vulnerabilities: Analyze potential threats and evaluate the vulnerabilities of each system in terms of security.

· Measure potential impact: Estimate and analyze the impact of a cyberattack on each asset, considering both economic losses and service interruptions.

· Continuous review: Assessments must be dynamic and reviewed periodically, especially if significant changes occur in the entities’ technological infrastructure.

Flexxible’s Compliance module, strengthen’s IT security to comply with regulations through the integration of EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) solutions for continuous monitoring and rapid response to potential threats, automated application of security policies in all devices, mechanisms for management, control of access to critical resources of the organization, and specific reports to demonstrate these measures.

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5. Develop and Implement Robust Security Policies

NIS2 requires entities to develop and maintain clear and well-defined cybersecurity policies. This includes policies for access management, data protection, and intrusion prevention.
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How to do it:

· Develop security policies: These policies must be central to everything, considering aspects such as access control, data encryption, secure password usage, incident management, and disaster recovery.

· Implement strict access controls: Ensure that only authorized individuals have access to the entities’ critical systems.

· Cloud security: If you use cloud services, verify that your security policies align with industry best practices, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and data encryption.

With Flexxible, you can implement customized access policies on its platform and ensure that only employees with proper permissions can access sensitive information. The platform facilitates monitoring and auditing of all system accesses, helping maintain ongoing compliance with NIS2.

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6. Cybersecurity Incident Management

NIS2 requires entities to have clear procedures for managing cybersecurity incidents and notifying the competent authorities within 24 hours.

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How to do it:

· Develop an incident response plan: This plan must detail the steps to follow in case of an attack, including how to isolate compromised systems, communicate the breach to employees, and notify authorities.

· Train staff: All employees must be trained in how to identify and report security incidents. Ongoing training is key to reducing exposure to cyber threats.

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Flexxible facilitates collaboration between IT and incident response teams, enabling smooth and rapid communication during critical moments. The platform provides detailed records of network activities, strengthens threat detection, and streamlines incident documentation and investigation.

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7. Cybersecurity Training and Awareness

NIS2 also places significant emphasis on employee training. To ensure a strong organizational cybersecurity culture, all workers must be aware of risks and best practices for protecting information.

How to do it:

· Implement a continuous training program: Ensure that all employees, from IT staff to administrative personnel, receive regular cybersecurity training.

· Phishing and threat simulations: Conduct regular attack simulations so employees can practice identifying malicious emails and other common risks.

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Flexxible enables real-time alerts and communications to all employees, ensuring that every team member is informed about cybersecurity risks and best practices to protect the organization.

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8. Incident Notification and Communication

The NIS2 Directive establishes that entities must notify any significant incident to the competent authorities within 24 hours. This deadline is critical, and failure to notify in time may result in severe penalties.

How to do it:

· Establish a notification team: Designate a team responsible for managing notifications and ensuring the necessary information is ready to be delivered to the authorities.

· Document all incidents: Also, maintain a detailed record of security incidents of any size, including the nature of the attack, its impact, and the actions taken.

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Flexxible facilitates early detection of incidents that may affect operational continuity. This capability helps IT teams act more quickly and contributes to strengthening digital resilience.

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Source: Flexxible

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9. How to Comply with the NIS2 Directive in Spain?

Although the NIS2 Directive poses significant challenges for many organizations, with proper planning and the right tools, it is possible to effectively meet its requirements.
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Flexxible offers a Compliance module that includes a reporting tool to show a baseline of where digital workspaces are currently at in regards to areas of NIS2 that need to comply, and where they may need improvement to comply with the NIS2 directive in Spain.

Through constant risk management, implementation of robust security policies, continuous employee training, and effective incident management, organizations can avoid non-compliance, strengthen their cybersecurity, and reduce exposure to privacy risks.

In this way, CIOs will be better prepared to face the challenges posed by NIS2 and ensure a secure and resilient digital environment for their organizations, adapted to their business type and within the limits established by regulations.
Complying with the NIS2 regulation in Spain helps avoid penalties and strengthens your organization’s digital resilience in an increasingly threatening environment.

Act now and ensure your business remains secure and efficient in cybersecurity. FlexxClient provides your employees with the technological tools necessary to drive business success. Request a demo or make an inquiry here.