Italy · Compliance
NIS2 compliance in Italy
Achieve NIS2 compliance in Italy with Sterling: 8,100+ client engagements in 60+ countries, 20+ years.
- Compliance, end to end
- Frankfurt office team
- Effivity software included
- Academy training included
Who asks for NIS2 in Italy
Clients include
NIS2 compliance in Italy at a glance
Decreto legislativo 4 settembre 2024, n. 138 (NIS2 transposition) is the instrument itself: it applies to the organisations within its scope, and buyers and partners in Italy ask for evidence that you meet it.
Italy's NIS framework is in force: Legislative Decree 138/2024, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale on 1 October 2024, took effect on 16 October 2024 and confirms the Agenzia per la cybersicurezza nazionale as competent national NIS Authority and single point of contact. Eighteen sectors fall within it, entities in scope register or update their registration on ACN's platform, and the decree identifies ten areas for security measures, a fuller incident-reporting process and accountability for top management. ACN has adopted basic specifications by Decision No. 379907/2025 and publishes its implementation timetable on its NIS pages. No certificate proves NIS2 compliance, and ISO/IEC 27001 can support the work without replacing it. Sterling's Frankfurt office runs the applicability check, gap analysis and documentation for Italian entities, with Effivity and Sterling Academy included in the engagement. Italian specifics follow.
Who needs NIS2 in Italy, and what happens without it
These are the organisations in Italy that most often need to show NIS2.
- Essential and important entities in the 18 sectorsThe decree sets obligations on security measures and incident reporting and requires registration on ACN's platform.
- Boards and top management of entities in scopeThe decree makes top management accountable for the security measures.
- Suppliers and service providers to entities in scopeSupply-chain security, including relationships with direct suppliers, is one of the measures the Directive lists.
- Operators also inside the national cybersecurity perimeterPerimeter obligations run alongside the NIS framework under ACN.
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Strip away the vocabulary and NIS2 asks essential and important entities to comply in six areas of cyber risk management.
In Italy these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: NIS2 explained →
How to achieve NIS2 compliance in Italy
One team from the Frankfurt office carries the work from scoping to sign-off. Clients across Italy are served from Sterling's Frankfurt office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.
- Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
- Gap assessment against NIS2 and the Italian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
- Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
- Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
- Reviews by regulators, customers and auditorsSterling supports the reviews your regulators, customers and auditors run.
- End to end, from one team
- Effivity ISO & GRC software
- Preferential Sterling Academy access, with complimentary awareness training for your people
- Internal auditor training for your audit team, as applicable to your standard
- Vulnerability assessment on ISMS engagements
The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.
How long does NIS2 compliance take in Italy?
There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Italy these are the factors that set the timeline.
- Whether the entity is essential or important and which sector it sits in
- Existing ISMS or security-programme coverage
- Management briefing and reporting arrangements
- Scope covering the whole regulated entity
Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.
How much does NIS2 compliance cost in Italy?
The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and any external assessor’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Italy these factors move both.
- Size and number of entities in scope
- Control remediation across the regulated entity
- External review or audit where an entity chooses one
Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.
NIS2 consultants and assessors in Italy
Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; your regulators, customers and auditors then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.
- Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers NIS2 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
- Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Italy are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
- Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
- Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.
Laws and regulations that drive NIS2 in Italy (3)
| Instrument | How it treats the standard |
|---|---|
| Decreto legislativo 4 settembre 2024, n. 138 (NIS2 transposition) | The instrument itself GU n. 230 of 1 October 2024, in force 16 October 2024; ACN is the competent national NIS Authority and single point of contact. |
| Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS 2) | The EU law transposed Its list of risk-management measures includes business continuity, backup management and disaster recovery, crisis management and supply chain security. |
| ACN legislation page and implementing measures | Related Ten areas for security measures, registration on ACN's platform and basic specifications adopted by ACN Decision No. 379907/2025. |
Accreditation, audit language and remote audits in Italy
Compliance, not certification: there is no NIS2 certificate. Entities identify whether they are essential or important, register on ACN's platform, apply the security measures and incident-reporting duties and follow ACN's basic specifications. ISO/IEC 27001 certification by an accredited body can support the evidence but does not by itself define what ACN requires. Edition and transition details: NIS2 hub →
Audit language
ACN's platform, decisions and specifications are published in Italian; internal documentation can be in Italian or English.
Remote and on-site
Gap assessment and documentation can be remote or on-site; any supervisory inspection follows ACN's procedures.
NIS2 in Italy: questions clients ask
Is the NIS2 law in force in Italy?
Yes. Legislative Decree 138/2024 transposes Directive (EU) 2022/2555 into Italian law. It was published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 230 of 1 October 2024 and entered into force on 16 October 2024. Whether your organisation falls within its scope is a question for your counsel or the ACN.
Which authority runs NIS2 in Italy?
The Agenzia per la cybersicurezza nazionale. The decree confirms ACN as the competent national NIS Authority and single point of contact, and nine ministries act as sectoral authorities supporting implementation in their own sectors. Expect correspondence with ACN rather than with a sector ministry for routine matters, and confirm any sector-specific questions with the relevant authority.
Do we need to register with ACN?
If you are within scope, yes. ACN states that all public and private entities falling within the regulation must register or update their registration on the platform provided by the competent national NIS Authority, with the registration rules set in the decree. Check ACN's NIS pages for the current process and ask counsel whether your organisation is covered.
Can an ISO 27001 certificate show NIS2 compliance in Italy?
Not on its own. ACN's legislation page names no certification standard, describes ten areas for security measures and points to basic specifications adopted by ACN Decision No. 379907/2025. An ISO/IEC 27001 system helps organise the measures, but you still map them to the ACN specifications and handle registration and reporting separately.
More on NIS2 for Italian organisations
Other standards Italian businesses ask Sterling for
Organisations in Italy often combine NIS2 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.
Start with a free discovery call from the Frankfurt office
A Sterling consultant goes through your entities, your regulators and your target date with you. No proposal until the scope is agreed.
Sources
- Decreto legislativo 4 settembre 2024, n. 138 (NIS2 transposition) — gazzettaufficiale.it (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS 2) — eur-lex.europa.eu (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- ACN legislation page and implementing measures — acn.gov.it (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
- Codice dei contratti pubblici, art. 100 and Allegato II.12 — qualification of public-works contractors (SOA) — accredia.it (accessed 7 Oct 2026)
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