Compliance Compass
Your Navigator Through the EU Regulatory Landscape

The European Union has created a comprehensive network of regulations and directives in recent years to strengthen digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and data protection. We show you how these regulations interconnect and how to stay compliant.

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Why Compliance is Not Optional

Digital transformation has created new risks – and the EU is responding with a coherent regulatory framework. Whether financial sector, critical infrastructure or software development: anyone who operates, sells or offers software as SaaS must address these requirements.

Why Compliance is **Not Optional**

Regulatory Pressure

New laws, stricter requirements

  • The EU is harmonizing cybersecurity, data protection and digital sovereignty EU-wide
  • National patchworks are being replaced by binding regulations

Customer Expectations

Security as a competitive advantage

  • Your customers – especially in B2B – expect demonstrable compliance
  • ISO certifications, GDPR conformity and exit capability are becoming standard

Liability & Risk

High fines, reputation losses

  • GDPR violations can cost up to 4% of annual turnover
  • NIS-2 provides for personal liability of management
  • CRA requires continuous vulnerability disclosure

The EU Regulatory Landscape at a Glance

Seven central regulations and frameworks shape the digital compliance landscape. Each addresses specific risks – together they form a coherent ecosystem.

GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation

Privacy by Design & Default

In force since 2018. Protection of personal data, data subject rights, notification obligations. Affects every company processing EU citizens’ data. Fines up to 4% of annual turnover.

More about GDPR

NIS-2 – Network and Information Security

Cyber resilience for critical infrastructures

Applicable from October 2024. Extends NIS-1 to 18 sectors. Risk management, incident reporting, supply chain security, management liability. Affects essential/important entities.

More about NIS-2

DORA – Digital Operational Resilience Act

ICT resilience for the financial sector

Applicable from January 2025. Harmonizes ICT risk management, testing, third-party risk. Affects financial institutions and their ICT service providers. Lex specialis to NIS-2.

More about DORA

CRA – Cyber Resilience Act

Security by Design for products

Applicable from 2027. Product security over entire lifecycle, SBOM, vulnerability disclosure, update obligations. Affects software/hardware manufacturers. CE marking for critical products.

More about CRA

Data Act – Data Portability & Lock-in

Switching without barriers

Applicable from September 2025. Data portability, open APIs, prevention of vendor lock-in. Affects cloud providers, IoT manufacturers, software vendors. Functional equivalence and exit runbooks mandatory.

More about Data Act

Cloud Sovereignty Framework

Digital sovereignty made measurable

EU Commission procurement framework. Evaluates cloud services against 8 sovereignty objectives (SOV-1 to SOV-8). SEAL levels as minimum thresholds. EU preference in public procurement.

More about the Framework

15 Factor App – Best Practices

Cloud-Native Done Right

Methodology for modern, portable, scalable SaaS applications. Codebase, Dependencies, Config, Services, Build/Release/Run, Processes, Port-Binding, Concurrency, Disposability, Dev/Prod-Parity, Logs, Admin, Security, Telemetry, API-First.

More about 15 Factor App

How the Regulations Interconnect

EU regulations are not an isolated patchwork, but a coherent ecosystem. Many requirements overlap – leveraging synergies is key.

GDPR as Foundation

Privacy by Design runs through everything

GDPR compliance is a prerequisite for NIS-2, DORA, Data Act. Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) also address ICT risks. Art. 32 GDPR (security of processing) overlaps with CRA (Security by Design).

NIS-2 & DORA: Sector-Specific

Cyber resilience for critical infrastructures

NIS-2 applies horizontally across 18 sectors, DORA is lex specialis for financial sector. Both require risk management, incident response, supply chain transparency. DORA goes further: TLPT, stricter third-party risk management.

CRA & Data Act: Product Level

Secure, portable products

CRA demands Security by Design, SBOM, vulnerability management over product lifecycle. Data Act demands interoperability, open APIs, exit capability. Together: secure products with open standards – without lock-in.

Cloud Sovereignty Framework: Procurement

Sovereignty as selection criterion

Framework evaluates providers against 8 objectives (SOV-1 to SOV-8). SOV-3 (Data Sovereignty) = GDPR compliance. SOV-4 (Operational Sovereignty) = Exit capability (Data Act). SOV-7 (Security/Compliance) = NIS-2/DORA readiness.

15 Factor App: Technical Implementation

Cloud-Native as enabler

15 Factor App is not a regulation, but best practice for portable, scalable SaaS applications. Supports compliance: Config externalization (GDPR), Disposability (Resilience), Telemetry (NIS-2/DORA), API-First (Data Act).

Integrated Compliance Approach

Done right once, many goals achieved

Those who operate an ISMS according to ISO 27001, demonstrate GDPR compliance, develop cloud-native and use open standards fulfill many requirements in parallel. Common intersections: risk management, incident response, documentation, audit capability.

Consequences of Non-Compliance

EU regulations are not toothless. Violations can result in existential fines, reputation losses and business restrictions.

GDPR: Up to 4% of Annual Turnover

High fines, reputation losses

  • For serious violations (e.g. lacking legal basis, insufficient security): up to €20M or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher
  • Additionally: reputation damage, customer churn, compensation claims

NIS-2: Management Liability

Personal responsibility of management

  • Fines up to €10M or 2% of annual turnover
  • New: Personal liability for management bodies for breach of duty
  • Supervisory authorities can force companies to implement measures
  • Worst case: operational prohibition

DORA: Supervisory Measures

Interventions in business operations

  • Financial supervisory authorities (BaFin, EIOPA, etc.) can identify deficiencies, order measures, restrict activities
  • Fines up to €10M or 5% of annual turnover for financial entities
  • ICT third-party providers can be “screened” by supervisors and excluded if risky

CRA: Product Recall, CE Loss

Market surveillance can ban products

  • Non-compliant products may not enter the EU market
  • Market surveillance authorities can order recalls, refuse CE marking
  • Fines up to €15M or 2.5% of global annual turnover
  • For critical products: EUCC certification mandatory

Data Act: Contract Termination, Fines

Exit rights can be enforced

  • Customers can challenge contracts with lock-in clauses
  • Fines up to €10M or 2% of annual turnover
  • Cloud providers must justify switching fees
  • Ensure functional equivalence in porting

Cloud Sovereignty: Exclusion from Procurement

No public contracts without SEAL

  • Procurement bodies can set minimum SEAL levels
  • Providers who don’t meet these are excluded
  • EU preference in tenders
  • No direct fine framework, but de facto market exclusion in public sector

Timeline & Deadlines – When You Must Act

Some regulations are already in force, others follow in the coming years. Early preparation is crucial – retrospective compliance is more expensive.

GDPR – In Force Since 2018

Act now

  • GDPR has been in effect since May 25, 2018
  • No more transition period
  • Those not yet compliant: immediate action required
  • Regular audits, DPIAs, data subject rights processes must be established
  • Documentation is mandatory

NIS-2 – Applicable Since October 2024

18 months implementation period for member states

  • EU regulation from 14.12.2022, applicable from 17.10.2024
  • Member states had until 17.10.2024 for national implementation
  • Germany: implementation ongoing, companies should now identify if affected and implement measures

DORA – Applicable from January 2025

Financial sector must deliver now

  • DORA applies from 17.01.2025
  • Financial entities and ICT third-party providers had since 16.01.2023 to prepare
  • Technical standards (RTS/ITS) are being published successively
  • Early implementation recommended: ICT risk management framework, testing programs, third-party register

CRA – Mandatory from 2027

Product manufacturers have time to prepare

  • CRA adopted December 2024, applicable 36 months after entry into force (approx. 2027/2028)
  • Manufacturers should start now: SBOM processes, vulnerability disclosure programs, Security by Design in product development
  • For critical products: prepare EUCC certification

Data Act – Applicable from September 2025

Cloud providers and IoT manufacturers: Act now

  • Data Act applicable from 12.09.2025 (12 months after entry into force)
  • Transition period for existing contracts: 24 months
  • Cloud providers must establish exit strategies, open APIs, switching processes
  • Contractual lock-in clauses must be revised

Cloud Sovereignty Framework – Already Relevant

Procurements are using the framework now

  • Framework published October 2025, immediately applicable in EU procurement
  • Public contracting authorities can set minimum SEAL levels
  • Cloud providers should now prepare their sovereignty positioning: EU locations, exit capability, BYOK, open standards, EU-based operations

How ayedo Supports Your Compliance

Compliance is complex – but not impossible. ayedo offers you a platform, processes and expertise to systematically address GDPR, NIS-2, DORA, CRA, Data Act and Cloud Sovereignty Framework.

GDPR-Compliant Platform

Privacy by Design & Default, out-of-the-box

  • EU data residency (Germany), Customer-Managed Keys (BYOK/BYOHSM), encryption at rest/in transit
  • ISO 27001-certified ISMS
  • DPA/AVV-ready
  • Support for DPIAs, data subject rights, incident response
  • Audit trails for evidence

NIS-2-Compliant Operations

Resilience for critical infrastructures

  • 24/7 monitoring & alerting, structured incident response processes, BCP/DR concepts
  • Supply chain transparency (SBOM, CVE scanning)
  • EU-based operations, MFA/PAM, vulnerability management
  • ISO 27001 certified
  • Ideal for essential/important entities

DORA-Ready for Financial Institutions

ICT resilience tailored to requirements

  • ICT risk management framework per DORA Art. 6-16
  • Documented exit strategies (Art. 28)
  • Third-party risk management (Art. 28-30)
  • TLPT readiness (Art. 26)
  • Structured incident reporting chains (Art. 19)
  • Continuous resilience testing
  • ISO 27001 certified

CRA-Compliant Software Supply Chain

Security by Design over entire lifecycle

  • SBOM generation for all platform components
  • CVE scanning, vulnerability disclosure processes
  • Signed container images, update management
  • GitOps-based audit trails
  • Transparent supply chain
  • Best practice implementation for cloud-native software

Cloud Sovereignty Framework: SEAL-4-Ready

Digital sovereignty made measurable

  • Designed for SEAL-4 (Full Digital Sovereignty) across all 8 sovereignty objectives
  • EU-based operations (SOV-1/2/4/7), EU data residency + BYOK (SOV-3)
  • Open standards + exit capability (SOV-4/6)
  • Transparent supply chains (SOV-5)
  • ISO certifications (SOV-7)
  • No dependencies on non-EU control

Data Act-Compliant Portability

Switching without barriers

  • Open APIs (OpenAPI/Kubernetes standard)
  • Standardized formats (YAML/JSON/Helm/OCI)
  • Complete exit runbooks, Infrastructure-as-Code porting
  • Multi-cloud/multi-provider capable
  • No egress fees
  • Functional equivalence
  • CNCF-certified Kubernetes

15 Factor App: Cloud-Native Best Practices

Portable, scalable SaaS applications

  • We help you structure your software according to 15 Factor principles: Config externalization, Stateless Processes, Port-Binding, Disposability, Dev/Prod-Parity, Logs, Telemetry, API-First
  • Foundation for compliance readiness and lock-in avoidance

Compliance Consulting & Gap Assessment

We show you the way

  • Gap assessment: Where do you stand, what’s missing?
  • Roadmap development: Which measures in which order?
  • Documentation support: How to build your evidence base?
  • We accompany you from analysis through implementation to audit readiness

Integrated Compliance Roadmap

One approach, many goals

  • We systematically address GDPR, NIS-2, DORA, CRA, Data Act, Cloud Sovereignty Framework, ISO 27001/9001
  • Leverage synergies: ISMS as foundation, risk management for all regulations, shared incident response, central audit trails
  • Compliance as competitive advantage

Start Your Compliance Journey

Compliance doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right platform, the right processes and the right partner, regulatory burden becomes competitive advantage.

Free Initial Consultation

Let’s analyze your status quo together and develop a roadmap.

  • Which regulations affect you?
  • Where are the biggest gaps?
  • What are the quick wins?

Platform Demo

See live how our platform addresses GDPR, NIS-2, DORA, CRA, Data Act and Cloud Sovereignty Framework.

  • BYOK, SBOM, exit runbooks, ISO certification – in practice

Compliance Documentation

Request our detailed compliance dossiers:

  • ISO certificates, DORA mapping, NIS-2 gap assessment, Cloud Sovereignty self-assessment
  • Transparent, auditable, battle-tested