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How Assureon Supports DORA Compliance for Data Storage

Blog
October 10, 2024

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a regulatory framework introduced by the European Commission aimed at strengthening the operational resilience of financial institutions within the EU. With growing threats to IT systems, DORA is designed to ensure that financial organizations can withstand and recover from all types of IT-related disruptions, including cyberattacks. For storage administrators, IT architects, and compliance officers, DORA presents new challenges, especially when it comes to managing data. Nexsan’s Assureon provides a robust solution that helps organizations comply with DORA’s strict requirements for data storage and operational resilience.

What is DORA?

DORA’s primary focus is ensuring financial institutions are equipped to handle IT risks, disruptions, and threats. It introduces specific requirements around:

  • IT Risk Management: Developing comprehensive IT risk management frameworks.
  • Incident Reporting: Standardizing processes for reporting IT-related incidents.
  • Operational Resilience Testing: Regular testing of IT systems to ensure resilience against disruptions.
  • Third-Party Risk Management: Ensuring that vendors comply with IT risk management standards.

For data storage professionals, DORA demands scalable, secure, and compliant storage solutions that can withstand both internal and external threats while supporting rapid data recovery and risk management.

How Assureon Supports DORA Compliance

1. Data Integrity and Immutable Storage

DORA emphasizes the importance of operational resilience, which requires that data remain secure, untampered, and easily recoverable. Assureon’s immutable storage ensures that once data is stored, it cannot be altered or deleted until the end of its retention period. This immutability is critical for maintaining data integrity, a core component of DORA compliance.

Assureon also integrates encryption at rest and in transit using advanced algorithms such as AES-256 and a dual-hashing algorithm to secure sensitive data. This level of security is essential for protecting against unauthorized access and ensuring compliance with DORA’s IT risk management mandates.

For more details on Assureon’s immutable storage, visit Assureon Immutable Storage.

2. Automated Data Retention Policies

DORA requires that financial institutions retain operational data for extended periods to support incident investigations, audits, and operational continuity. Assureon enables organizations to establish automated retention policies, ensuring that data is stored for the appropriate duration as required by DORA.

These policies not only help meet regulatory standards but also ensure that data is available when needed, whether for recovery following an incident or during routine audits. IT architects can configure these retention periods to align with the specific compliance requirements set forth by DORA, reducing the need for manual oversight.

Explore more about Nexsan’s retention policies in the Immutable Storage Overview.

3. Real-Time Monitoring and Incident Reporting

One of DORA’s key requirements is the ability to report significant IT incidents in a timely manner. Assureon’s real-time integrity checks and automated alerts help financial institutions detect potential issues or security breaches as they happen. If an incident occurs, Assureon’s detailed audit logs provide a comprehensive view of the affected data, including who accessed it and when.

These logs can be used to quickly assess the impact of a breach and generate the necessary reports for regulatory authorities, helping organizations comply with DORA’s strict incident reporting rules.

For more on how Assureon supports compliance, check out Nexsan’s Regulatory Compliance Use Case.

4. Operational Resilience and Data Recovery

DORA requires organizations to regularly test their operational resilience by conducting vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to ensure they can recover from IT disruptions. Assureon excels in providing fast data recovery, which is critical for minimizing downtime in the event of a cyberattack or system failure.

Assureon’s ability to restore access to vast amounts of data (even petabytes) through virtual shortcuts enables organizations to recover data almost instantaneously. This supports DORA’s requirement for Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO), ensuring that financial institutions can bounce back from disruptions without significant delays.

5. Vendor Risk Management and Auditing

DORA also places a heavy emphasis on managing risks associated with third-party IT service providers. Assureon helps financial institutions address these requirements by offering detailed audit logs that track every data access and modification. These logs provide a comprehensive record that can be used to ensure compliance with DORA’s third-party risk management requirements.

Additionally, Assureon supports third-party audits, ensuring that external vendors adhere to the same IT risk management standards, further helping financial institutions manage their vendor relationships under DORA.

To explore how Assureon helps with regulatory and vendor risk management, visit Protect Your Data for Regulatory and Corporate Compliance.

Key Benefits of Assureon for DORA Compliance

  • Immutable Storage: Ensures that critical operational data is protected against tampering and accidental deletion, a key requirement of DORA.
  • Automated Retention Policies: Simplifies compliance by automatically enforcing data retention rules.
  • Real-Time Monitoring: Provides instant detection of breaches or disruptions, enabling fast reporting and response.
  • Fast Data Recovery: Supports operational resilience by enabling quick recovery from cyberattacks or system failures.
  • Comprehensive Audit Logs: Offers a full record of all data interactions, helping with internal audits and third-party oversight.

Conclusion

For storage administrators, IT architects, and compliance officers tasked with ensuring DORA compliance, Nexsan’s Assureon provides a secure, scalable, and compliant solution. From immutable storage to real-time monitoring and fast data recovery, Assureon simplifies the process of maintaining operational resilience and managing IT risks, as required by DORA.

To learn more about how Assureon can help your organization achieve DORA compliance, visit Assureon Immutable Storage.

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