NIS2 Directive: How midPoint Helps You Meet Identity Security Requirements

The NIS2 Directive (Network and Information Security Directive 2) came into force across the EU in October 2024, significantly expanding cybersecurity obligations for essential and important entities. Identity and access management is a core requirement. Here is how midPoint helps you comply.

What NIS2 Requires for Identity Management

NIS2 Article 21 mandates that organizations implement “policies on access control and asset management” as part of their cybersecurity risk management measures. Specifically, entities must:

• Implement access control policies based on the principle of least privilege
• Manage privileged accounts with enhanced security measures
• Maintain an inventory of critical assets and their access relationships
• Ensure supply chain security, including third-party access governance
• Report significant incidents within 24 hours of detection

midPoint Capabilities for NIS2 Compliance

Least Privilege Access Control

midPoint’s role-based (RBAC) and attribute-based (ABAC) access control ensures users receive only the permissions required for their job function. Automated joiner/mover/leaver processes adjust access instantly when roles change, eliminating stale permissions that violate least privilege principles.

Privileged Account Management

midPoint tracks and governs privileged accounts across all connected systems. Policies can enforce:

• Separate privileged and standard accounts for administrators
• Time-limited privileged access with automatic expiration
• Mandatory approval workflows for privileged role assignment
• Enhanced logging and monitoring of all privileged account activity

Asset and Access Inventory

midPoint maintains a real-time inventory of all identities, their role assignments, and the systems they can access. This inventory is always current because midPoint provisions and de-provisions access automatically. For NIS2 compliance, this means you can produce an accurate access map for any identity at any time.

Supply Chain Access Governance

Third-party vendors, contractors, and partners often need access to your systems. midPoint manages external identities with:

• Separate lifecycle policies for external users
• Automatic expiration dates on contractor accounts
• Periodic access recertification for all external users
• Immediate de-provisioning when contracts end

Incident Response Support

NIS2 requires rapid incident reporting. midPoint’s audit logs provide the evidence trail needed to:

• Determine which accounts were compromised
• Identify what data and systems the compromised accounts could access
• Trace the timeline of access changes around the incident
• Support forensic investigation with complete provisioning history

Who Must Comply?

NIS2 applies to a broad range of sectors:

• Essential entities: Energy, transport, banking, health, water, digital infrastructure, ICT service management, public administration, space
• Important entities: Postal services, waste management, chemicals, food, manufacturing, digital providers, research

Organizations in these sectors with 50+ employees or EUR 10M+ turnover are generally in scope.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

NIS2 introduces significant penalties: up to EUR 10 million or 2% of global annual turnover for essential entities, and up to EUR 7 million or 1.4% for important entities. Management bodies can be held personally liable.

Start Your NIS2 Compliance Journey

WeKnowIdentity helps organizations implement midPoint’s identity governance capabilities to meet NIS2 requirements. We assess your current access control posture, design compliant policies, and deploy automated governance workflows. Contact us for a NIS2 readiness assessment.

Related Resources

• Identity Governance and Compliance services
• midPoint consulting and implementation
• Enterprise deployment case studies