Full Packet Capture as Strategic and Regulatory Imperative
Endace partnered with SANS to review a wide range of cybersecurity regulations around the globe. This report, by Matt Bromiley, Certified Instructor at SANS, examines at how always-on packet capture enables organizations to comply with these key regulations, while also providing an essential foundation of effective cyber defense.
The report also includes detailed “tear-sheets” which outline how always-on full packet capture enables compliance with the specific requirements of key regulations and frameworks including Zero Trust, NIST CSF, ISO 27-001, NIS2 Directive, Australian ISM and more.
This page provides the information specific to the European NIS2 Directive. See the overview of the full research study here:
Enabling NIS2 Directive Compliance for EU Organizations
The European Union’s Network and Information Security Directive 2 (NIS2) represents a fundamental shift in how EU member states approach cybersecurity regulation. Effective October 2024 (with enforcement beginning in 2025) NIS2 expands the scope of regulated entities and introduces stringent incident reporting and security requirements. Organizations operating in or serving the EU market(s) face updated compliance obligations, including mandatory 24-hour early warning notifications and 72-hour comprehensive incident reports with detailed forensic evidence.
For CISOs, risk officers, and executives, NIS2 compliance is both a legal mandate and a strategic business imperative. It ensures operational resilience, protects supply chain integrity, and demonstrates cybersecurity maturity to customers, partners, and regulators. Concurrently, organizations face mounting operational challenges:
- Complex incident reporting timelines requiring rapid evidence collection and analysis
- Cross-border coordination requirements across multiple EU member state authorities
- Supply chain security obligations extending to third-party vendors and service providers
- Continuous monitoring requirements to detect, assess, and report security incidents
Full packet capture (FPC) solutions directly address NIS2’s core requirements while providing comprehensive network visibility, forensic-grade evidence collection, and the rapid incident analysis capabilities essential for meeting directive timelines and demonstrating due diligence.
With enterprise-grade FPC solutions, organizations can:
- Detect and report incidents within NIS2 timelines, providing early warning notifications within 24 hours and comprehensive reports within 72 hours
- Collect and preserve forensic evidence, meeting EU legal and regulatory standards
- Monitor supply chain communications to identify and assess third-party security incidents affecting organizational operations
- Demonstrate continuous monitoring and security measure implementation(s)
- Reduce compliance complexity by addressing multiple NIS2 requirements through unified network visibility
NIS2 Directive Compliance Framework
The tearsheet below references the key requirements established by the NIS2 Directive to show where and how FPC supports compliance in each domain. This helps organizations turn regulatory obligations into operational resilience and security excellence.
Who is Endace?
Endace specializes in scalable, high-speed, high-performance packet capture. Our solutions are used by some of world’s biggest organizations on some of the fastest networks on the planet.
If you are looking for a packet capture solution, we’d love to show you why Endace is the best choice. Contact us to book a demo or ask a question.