DORA: What Financial IT Must Know 

by Nigel Hickey Jul 9, 2025

The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) entered into application across the European Union on 17 January 2025, reshaping how financial institutions manage cyber and operational risk [1]. Although the United Kingdom is no longer in the EU, UK-based banks and ICT providers that serve EU customers must still comply with DORA in those jurisdictions [2]. The deadline has passed but the journey to compliance and maintaining it is only just beginning. 

What is DORA, and why should financial IT teams care about it today? 

DORA is a comprehensive EU regulation designed to strengthen the digital operational resilience of financial entities, including banks, insurance companies, and fintech firms. Its goal is to ensure that these organizations can withstand, respond to, and recover from all types of ICT-related disruptions and threats. 

DORA focuses on five core pillars:

1. ICT Risk Management — Identifying and mitigating information and communication technology risks. 
2. Incident Reporting — Timely reporting of significant ICT-related incidents within 72 hours. 
3. Digital Operational Resilience Testing — Regular testing to assess resilience capabilities. 
4. Third-Party Risk Management — Oversight of ICT third-party providers, including cloud services. 
5. Information Sharing — Collaboration between financial institutions on cyber threats and vulnerabilities. 

 

Why Post-Deadline Compliance Matters 

While January 2025 marked the official deadline for DORA compliance, meeting regulatory requirements is not a one-time task. Only about one-third of EU financial entities are fully compliant with all DORA requirements, according to KPMG gap-analysis [3]. Financial IT teams must continuously monitor, test, and improve their digital resilience strategies to keep pace with evolving threats and regulatory expectations. Non-compliance can lead to hefty fines, reputational damage, and operational disruption risks that no financial institution can afford. 

How NetBrain Helps Financial IT Teams Stay Ahead 

NetBrain’s no-code automation and AI Co-Pilot power a real-time Digital Twin of every device, path, and policy. Golden Engineering Studio continuously validates configurations against DORA controls, while Triple-Defense Change Management stress-tests every change before, during, and after deployment, delivering audit-ready evidence in minutes, not weeks. After deploying NetBrain’s Digital Twin, a Global Tier-1 bank reduced incident MTTR by 75% and cut audit overhead by 90%, demonstrating the power of intelligent automation in meeting regulatory and operational demands. 

Next Steps 

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing detailed insights, practical tips, and real-world examples of how NetBrain supports DORA compliance from white papers to live webinars.  

In the meantime, Watch our On Demand Webinar -Continually Assess Your Network Resiliency: A DORA Survival Guide 

References 

• [1] https://www.digital-operational-resilience-act.com/ 
• [2] https://www.alvarezandmarsal.com/insights/dora-and-technology-disputes-how-digital-operational-resilience-act-could-shape-technology#_edn1 
• [3] https://kpmg.com/xx/en/our-insights/ecb-office/decoding-dora-for-european-banks.html