Implementing DORA in a financial institution requires full compliance with the principles of digital operational resilience. The DORA regulation (2022/2554) obliges banks and their ICT service providers to continuously manage operational risk and cybersecurity. These requirements include the thorough identification and classification of all ICT assets, such as servers, applications, databases, and documents. Institutions must also document the relationships between these assets.
DORA mandates the implementation of IT incident handling procedures—from detection and analysis to system recovery. Any major cyber event must be reported according to official guidelines. Institutions are also required to regularly test system resilience, for example through penetration testing. Strict enforcement of data retention policies is equally crucial: data cannot be stored longer than legally permitted. Every change to the IT infrastructure must be logged and auditable.
Detecto – Data Identification and Risk Management
Detecto is a tool that automates the detection and classification of sensitive data in a company’s systems and documents. It uses AI technologies (OCR and NLP) to scan corporate resources (files, databases, emails) for personal and sensitive information. This makes it fully aligned with DORA’s requirement to identify all informational assets. Detecto enables organizations to:
- Detect all instances of personal data (e.g., national ID numbers, addresses, bank accounts) in documents and databases—reducing weeks of manual work to just a few hours of automated analysis.
- Generate reports that locate personal data assets—significantly simplifying internal and external audits (e.g., for DORA or GDPR compliance).
- Analyze incidents—if a data breach occurs, Detecto can quickly identify whether sensitive information was involved and what type of data was exposed.
By offering these capabilities, Detecto supports effective information risk management. It automatically builds a catalog of critical data and their storage points, helping institutions assess potential threats. This enables better planning of ICT risk mitigation activities and supports DORA’s requirements for protecting assets from unauthorized access or damage.
Revelio – Detection of Unauthorized Resources and Data
Revelio scans shared file storage, employee computers, and email accounts to identify documents containing sensitive data. It uncovers “hidden” resources—files and folders containing personal data that were not previously included in official systems. Revelio helps institutions to:
- Locate all documents with personal data (e.g., national IDs, medical or financial records) stored on company devices—providing visibility and enabling better protection.
- Identify business processes that generate sensitive documents—supporting the transition to digital workflows and reducing risks associated with paper-based or uncontrolled data sources.
- Support data retention policies—integrating with document deletion (anonymization) procedures once the retention period has expired. The system flags such files for archiving or deletion, helping to meet DORA and GDPR requirements.
- Build employee awareness—through oversight and reporting features that delegate data security responsibility across the organization.
Revelio enhances visibility across the data environment and identifies unauthorized information assets. In the DORA context, it ensures no confidential data is “forgotten” within the IT structure. Integrated with Oblivio, it supports full enforcement of data retention policies—once documents with expired legal grounds are detected, Revelio enables their safe removal or anonymization. This ensures compliance with DORA data protection and retention requirements.
Nocturno – Safe Test Environments
Nocturno is a tool for creating secure test environments using anonymized production data. It allows financial institutions to test cyber resilience and business continuity without exposing real customer data. Nocturno uses custom dictionaries and generators to keep the structure of production data. It replaces real values like IDs, tax numbers, or birthdates with fictitious but valid ones. Key features include:
- Anonymization across multiple databases while maintaining consistency—Nocturno processes large datasets in parallel and ensures that identical records are anonymized the same way across all systems. This results in realistic test environments (e.g., the same user receives consistent fake data in all databases).
- Support for various database types (MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, etc.) while respecting integrity constraints—Nocturno maintains checksums and table relations to avoid system failures.
- Integration with Detecto—first identifying sensitive fields, then automatically anonymizing them according to business rules.
These features minimize the risk of using real personal data during testing or system migrations. DORA requires resilience testing to occur in secure environments while maintaining data confidentiality. Nocturno enables this by supporting tests such as disaster recovery or simulated attacks without exposing sensitive customer data.
Oblivio – Managing the Data Lifecycle
Oblivio is a tool for central management of data retention and anonymization across the entire organization. It helps define how long personal data (e.g., consents or contracts) may be stored. After this period expires, Oblivio automatically cleans the database. It integrates with other IT systems and triggers data anonymization or deletion once the legal basis expires. Core functionalities include:
- Data retention configuration – setting rules for how long specific types of personal data can be stored. After this period, data is marked as expired.
- Anonymization and deletion – once retention conditions are met, the system replaces customer data with fictional values (e.g., a synthetic identity) across all related systems. This enforces the “right to be forgotten” and prevents unnecessary data retention.
- Reporting and audit – Oblivio provides detailed reports and statistics on deleted or anonymized records, enabling constant monitoring of the data retention policy.
- Accountability – every data operation (deletion, modification) is logged, including who performed the action and when. This gives financial institutions a complete audit trail for compliance reviews.
Oblivio helps meet DORA requirements for managing the data lifecycle and ensuring accountability. Automating retention processes reduces human error and ensures that no sensitive data is kept without a legal basis. The detailed logs prove that the institution’s data management policies are properly enforced—critical for audits and compliance checks.
Summary
Implementing DORA in a financial institution requires the synergy of modern data management and security tools.
- Detecto and Revelio automatically detect and classify data across systems and documents—supporting DORA’s inventory and asset protection requirements.
- Nocturno enables safe testing using anonymized data, ensuring confidentiality is maintained during resilience assessments.
- Oblivio manages the full data lifecycle—automating retention, deletion, and audit operations to ensure accountability and compliance.
By using Wizards tools together, financial institutions and ICT providers meet DORA’s technical requirements. At the same time, they strengthen operational resilience and are better prepared for cybersecurity incidents.
1. What is DORA?
DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) is an EU regulation aimed at strengthening the digital resilience of financial institutions. It imposes obligations related to ICT risk management, system resilience testing, and reporting of cyber incidents.
2. Who is affected by DORA regulations?
The regulation applies to a wide range of entities, including banks, investment firms, payment institutions, crypto-asset service providers, and external technology providers offering services to the financial sector.
3. When does DORA come into effect?
DORA came into force on January 16, 2023, but full compliance will be mandatory from January 17, 2025. Financial institutions have a two-year transition period to implement the required procedures.
4. What are the main requirements of the regulation?
Implementation of ICT risk management strategies.
Testing the digital resilience of IT systems.
Reporting cyber incidents.
Managing risks related to technology providers.
Sharing threat intelligence within the financial sector.
5. What penalties apply for non-compliance with DORA?
Failing to comply with DORA can result in high financial penalties, reaching several million euros. Companies also face increased risks of cyberattacks and loss of trust from clients and business partners. In extreme cases, regulators may impose operational restrictions or enforce additional supervisory measures.
6. How to prepare a company for DORA compliance?
Conduct an audit of IT security policies.
Implement cybersecurity testing and monitoring systems.
Train employees on the new regulations.
Develop ICT incident management plans.
7. What impact does DORA have on the financial sector?
DORA raises IT risk management standards and enforces a priority focus on cybersecurity. Financial institutions must adopt stricter system monitoring procedures and conduct regular cybersecurity resilience tests.
Mandatory penetration testing will help detect security vulnerabilities.
Faster incident reporting will improve transparency and accountability.
Stricter oversight of technology providers will require audits and security assessments.
As a result, DORA will enhance data security for customers and improve the sector’s resilience to cyber threats.
8. Does DORA affect cooperation with IT service providers?
Yes. Financial institutions must closely monitor technology providers, conduct audits, and enforce compliance with DORA regulations.
9. Key Steps to Implement DORA in a Company
Regulatory compliance analysis – Conduct an audit of IT systems and security policies.
Updating security procedures – Align ICT risk management standards with DORA requirements.
Implementing monitoring and testing tools – Ensure resilience against cyber threats.
Employee training – Raise awareness of the new regulations.
Developing incident reporting procedures – Enable effective threat response.
10. Challenges in Implementing DORA
Implementation costs – New standards may require significant investments.
Lack of ready-made solutions – Not all companies have adequate IT structures in place.
Integration with providers – Audits and system adaptations may affect business partnerships.
Organizational culture change – Effective implementation requires commitment from management and staff.
11. Why Take Action Now?
Although full DORA compliance will be mandatory from 2025, companies should start preparing as soon as possible.
Early implementation helps avoid penalties and strengthen cybersecurity.
Companies that have already adopted DORA gained greater operational stability and better reputations.
Advanced threat monitoring systems will allow faster response to attacks.
By implementing DORA now, organizations can avoid last-minute investments and better protect their systems from increasing cyber threats.
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is a European Union regulation that now applies to all financial institutions. Its primary goal is to enhance the financial sector’s resilience to digital threats. Cyberattacks have become one of the key challenges for the industry in recent years. DORA financial regulations – learn more.
The new regulations introduce unified ICT (Information and Communication Technology) risk management principles. Their purpose is to ensure financial market stability. Additionally, they enhance customer protection against cyber threats.
DORA not only imposes obligations on financial institutions but also changes the way they approach cybersecurity. The new rules require the implementation of comprehensive risk management systems and IT infrastructure resilience testing against various types of attacks. Institutions must take specific steps to comply with these regulations. Non-compliance may result in heavy financial penalties and a loss of trust from customers and business partners.
What Requirements Must Financial Institutions Meet?
DORA mandates financial institutions to implement new ICT risk management procedures to strengthen resilience against cyber threats. This includes internal organizational processes and oversight of external providers offering IT services to the financial sector. Companies must apply strict data protection mechanisms, ensure business continuity, and regularly test the resilience of their systems.
The new regulations emphasize cyber incident reporting and the implementation of preventive measures against future attacks.
Companies must develop strategies for responding to cyber threats. They should also implement communication procedures that enable rapid reporting of irregularities to regulatory authorities.
DORA also highlights managing ICT service providers. Financial institutions must carefully assess risks related to external IT systems and conduct compliance audits with the new regulations.
What Happens to Companies That Do Not Comply with DORA?
Non-compliance with DORA carries serious consequences. It can impact both financial stability and the reputation of financial institutions.
Financial penalties are just one part of the problem. An even greater threat is the increased vulnerability to cyberattacks. These attacks can result in customer data theft, operational paralysis, and even significant financial losses.
Failing to comply with DORA also weakens trust among customers and business partners. In today’s world, data security is a key factor in choosing financial services. Companies that fail to meet the new requirements risk losing competitiveness in the market.
Financial institutions must act quickly to comply with regulations. Only in this way can they avoid severe consequences of negligence.
How to Meet DORA Requirements?
Adapting to DORA requires a comprehensive approach and the involvement of the entire organization. The first step should be a detailed review of IT security policies and an assessment of the current resilience of systems to cyber threats. Companies should also audit their ICT service providers to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and eliminate any potential security risks.
Cybersecurity testing is another key component of DORA compliance. Companies should regularly conduct penetration tests and vulnerability assessments to identify and eliminate weaknesses in their systems. Implementing new incident management procedures is essential to ensure a quick and effective response to potential threats.
Employee training is also crucial for DORA preparation. Cyber threat awareness and knowledge of incident response procedures must be at a high level for the entire organization to function in accordance with the new regulations. Companies should also invest in modern threat monitoring tools and automate security management processes. This will enable continuous risk analysis and minimize potential damages.
DORA – A New Reality for the Financial Sector
DORA financial regulations is changing how financial institutions manage their ICT systems. It places a strong focus on security, operational resilience, and digital risk management.
The new regulations are already in effect. Companies that have not yet adjusted should quickly implement the necessary procedures. Non-compliance increases the risk of cyberattacks and may also lead to legal and financial consequences.
The financial sector has no choice—it must adapt to these new realities. This requires a strategic and long-term approach to digital resilience.
DORA is not just an obligation. DORA financial regulations are also an opportunity to improve security and risk management. Companies should approach these changes with full commitment. By doing so, they will not only meet regulatory requirements but also build a stronger and more resilient organization prepared for future challenges.