Harbor’s Guide: Supporting
DORA Compliance

In today’s digital age, ensuring the security and resilience of data is paramount, especially for financial entities. Harbor Solutions plays a crucial role in helping organisations safeguard their data and comply with regulations like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).

Who Are Harbor Solutions?

Having been founded in 2014, our heritage and specialisation are within data protection services, with a particular focus being on managed backup, disaster recovery, and cyber recovery. Our mission is to protect and recover customer data, ensuring business continuity and resilience. We offer a range of services, including:

1. Managed Backup and Cyber Recovery: Ensuring data is always protected and recoverable.
2. Managed Disaster Recovery: Minimising downtime and restoring business operations quickly in crises.
3. Historical Restore: Managing legacy backup environments to facilitate smooth transitions.
4. Support Services: Providing enterprise-level support for data protection technologies.

We work and partner with leading technology providers like Rubrik, Druva, Veritas, and Commvault. Our skill and expertise have been recognised with various awards such as Druva’s MSP of the Year award in 2022, and Rubrik’s MSP of the Year award in 2024.

What is DORA?

DORA is an EU regulation that aims to strengthen the IT security and resilience of financial entities. It came into force on January 16, 2023, and will apply from January 17, 2025. DORA addresses the increasing dependency of the financial sector on technology and aims to ensure that financial entities can withstand, respond to, and recover from all types of disruptions and threats.

Why DORA?  

DORA was introduced in response to the growing digitalisation of the financial sector and the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats. Here are some key reasons DORA has been introduced:

1. Increased Cyber Threats: The financial sector has become a prime target for cyberattacks due to the sensitive nature of the data it handles. High-profile incidents have highlighted the need for stronger cybersecurity measures to protect against data breaches, ransomware, and other cyber threats.
2. Operational Resilience: Financial entities rely heavily on technology systems for their operations. Disruptions to these systems, whether due to cyberattacks, technical failures, or other incidents, can have severe consequences. DORA aims to ensure that financial entities can maintain operational continuity and recover quickly from disruptions.
3. Regulatory Harmonisation: Before DORA, there was a lack of uniformity in how different EU member states regulated technology risk management in the financial sector. DORA provides a harmonised framework, ensuring consistent standards and practices across the EU.
4. Third-Party Risk Management: Financial entities often rely on third-party technology service providers, which can introduce additional risks. DORA emphasises the importance of managing these third-party risks and ensures that critical third-party providers are subject to oversight.
5. Consumer Protection: Ensuring the security and resilience of financial services is crucial for protecting consumers. DORA aims to enhance consumer trust by ensuring that financial entities are well-prepared to handle technology incidents and protect consumer data.

How Harbor Solutions Helps with DORA Requirements

At Harbor Solutions, we support our financial customers to comply with DORA through a comprehensive suite of services designed to enhance digital resilience and ensure regulatory compliance. We offer a portfolio of solutions, including:

1. Risk Assessment and Due Diligence: Harbor Solutions conducts thorough risk assessments and due diligence to ensure their services meet DORA’s stringent information security standards. This helps clients identify and mitigate potential risks.
2. Continuity and Resilience: By implementing robust risk management and business continuity measures, Harbor Solutions ensures that their clients’ operations remain resilient in the face of disruptions. Harbor’s managed disaster recovery services are crucial for maintaining operational continuity.
3. Contractual Compliance: Harbor Solutions ensures that all contractual agreements with financial entities comply with DORA’s comprehensive requirements. This includes key contractual provisions related to third-party risk management.
4. Incident Response and Reporting: Harbor establishes detailed incident response mechanisms and reporting protocols to quickly address and mitigate any digital disruptions. This ensures that clients can manage incidents and comply with DORA’s stringent reporting requirements.
5. Information Register Maintenance: Harbor helps clients maintain a detailed information register of all contracts with technology suppliers, as mandated by DORA. This ensures that clients have a comprehensive overview of their third-party relationships and can manage associated risks effectively.

How to Contact Harbor Solutions

If you are looking to enhance your digital resilience and comply with DORA, Harbor Solutions is here to help. You can get in touch with Harbor through the following channels:

• Website: https://harborsolutions.com/
• Email: info@harborsolutions.com

We are committed to helping financial entities navigate the complexities of DORA compliance and ensure their data is protected and recoverable. By leveraging Harbor Solutions’ expertise in data protection and resilience, you can confidently meet DORA requirements and safeguard your operations against any digital threat you may face.