Advice
Jan 13, 2025
NIS2 compliance at lower cost
NIS2 compliance at lower cost, how to meet requirements without increasing your expenses
Compliance with the NIS2 directive has become a top priority for thousands of European companies, and for many non EU organizations operating with European partners. Strengthening cybersecurity obligations, risk governance, incident management, supply chain security, NIS2 represents a major shift in scale.
Yet one question keeps coming up among executives, CIOs and CISOs,
how can organizations ensure effective NIS2 compliance without exploding costs?
The good news is that compliance does not necessarily mean heavy, expensive or oversized projects, provided the right approach is adopted.
NIS2, a demanding framework, but not out of reach
The NIS2 directive (Network and Information Security Directive) significantly expands the scope of the original NIS directive.
It now covers 18 critical and important sectors, including energy, transport, healthcare, finance, digital services, industry, distribution, managed services and certain public administrations.
In practical terms, NIS2 compliance notably requires
a structured cyber risk management approach,
appropriate technical and organizational measures,
incident detection and response capabilities,
regulated incident reporting (with strict deadlines),
supply chain security,
direct involvement of top management.
Contrary to a common misconception, NIS2 does not impose a uniform level of security, but a level proportionate to the organization’s size, exposure and role. It is precisely this principle of proportionality that makes low cost NIS2 compliance achievable.
Why NIS2 compliance can quickly become expensive
In practice, many organizations approach NIS2 regulation inefficiently, launching overly ambitious projects inspired by large enterprise models,accumulating unintegrated cybersecurity tools, over relying on very expensive consulting firms producing theoretical deliverables, duplicating efforts already covered by ISO 27001, NIST CSF or existing internal policies.
The result is poorly controlled budgets, overwhelmed teams and compliance that is sometimes more administrative than operational. Yet NIS2 rewards coherence, not complexity.
Key levers for cost effective NIS2 compliance
1. Leverage existing assets
Very few organizations start from scratch.Security policies, business continuity and disaster recovery plans, IT procedures, previous audits, ISO or NIST frameworks already form a solid foundation.
An effective approach consists of
mapping existing controls,
identifying real gaps against NIS2 requirements,
prioritizing only what is strictly required.
In many cases, 30 to 40% of the work is already covered, but not formally documented.
2. Adopt a risk based approach, not a checklist approach
NIS2 does not require securing everything in the same way. It mandates a documented risk analysis aligned with critical assets, business dependencies and plausible threats.
A risk based approach makes it possible to focus efforts where impact is real, avoid unnecessary investments and justify decisions to supervisory authorities.
3. Align NIS2 with ISO 27001 and NIST CSF
One of the most effective ways to reduce costs is framework alignment. NIS2 is strongly aligned with:
ISO 27001 (governance, policies, incident management),
NIST CSF (Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover),
ENISA recommendations.
An intelligent compliance strategy consists of building a common foundation, producing reusable deliverables,avoiding documentation duplication.
4. Smartly outsource key functions
Not every organization needs a full time internal CISO or 24/7 SOC teams. Hybrid models exist, such as
externalized CISO
targeted support for NIS2 governance,
incident response assistance,
focused compliance expertise.
These approaches ensure strong budget control while meeting regulatory requirements.
The real cost of NIS2 compliance: a long term commitment, not a one off project
NIS2 compliance should not be viewed as a one time project or a purely administrative exercise.
It represents a long term operational commitment, requiring continuous governance, regular controls, ongoing updates and effective incident response capabilities.
In practice, for organizations subject to NIS2, the annual cost of compliance very often exceeds €200,000 per year, solely to maintain the required level of compliance.
This typically includes:
external CISO or security governance
recurring audits and regulatory controls
incident management and mandatory reporting
critical supply chain security
continuous policy and procedure updates
coordination with authorities and stakeholders
At a comparable budget level, Systelium delivers far more than NIS2 compliance alone.
For the same investment, organizations gain access to a full cybersecurity team, covering not only NIS2 requirements, but also cyber governance, risk management, incident response, audits, ISO 27001 and NIST compliance, and day to day operational support.
As a result, NIS2 compliance becomes part of a broader, sustainable cybersecurity program, rather than an isolated and costly regulatory obligation.
Why choosing a partner like Systelium ensures optimal NIS2 compliance
The success of cost effective NIS2 compliance depends as much on methodology as on the chosen partner.
Systelium supports European and international organizations in their regulatory cybersecurity challenges with a pragmatic, operational and ROI oriented approach (learn more about our cybersecurity expertise).
A pragmatic approach to NIS2 compliance
Systelium does not sell “paper compliance”.
Its approach is based on real risk analysis,
adaptation to business constraints,
production of useful and actionable deliverables,
audit readiness without unnecessary over documentation.
Flexible and controlled engagement models
Thanks to a structured nearshore model, Systelium offers
competitive costs (daily rates starting from 250 euros),
360 degree cybersecurity coverage,
rapid scalability,
English, French & Arabic speaking experts,
service continuity without dependency on a single consultant.
This makes it possible to align regulatory requirements with budget constraints.
Cross framework expertise, NIS2, ISO 27001, NIST
Systelium operates across
cyber governance,
regulatory compliance, audits,
crisis management,
red team and blue team operations,
policy and process structuring.
This transversal expertise enables integrated, coherent and sustainable NIS2 compliance. Systelium therefore positions itself as the best value for money cybersecurity provider in France.
Anticipating NIS2, an investment, not a constraint
Beyond regulatory obligation, NIS2 compliance is an opportunity
to improve operational resilience,
to strengthen trust with customers and partners,
to sustainably structure cybersecurity,
to better manage digital risks.
Organizations that approach NIS2 as a strategic project, rather than a simple legal constraint, gain benefits well beyond compliance.
Conclusion, NIS2 compliance and cost control are compatible
Low cost NIS2 compliance is not only possible, but realistic, provided organizations:
adopt a proportionate approach,
leverage existing assets,
align frameworks,
rely on an experienced partner.
In a context of increasing regulatory pressure, working with a player like Systelium allows organizations to transform NIS2 into a lever for maturity and competitiveness, without budget drift.
If you would like to learn more about our CISO Office and compliance services, please contact us or directly schedule a meeting with our team.
