Critical Infrastructures: Protection and resilience

What is KRITIS?

KRITIS, short for “Kritische Infrastrukturen” (critical infrastructures), refers to those infrastructures that are essential for the functioning of society and the economy, such as energy, healthcare, finance, IT, and transport. In the European Union and especially in Germany operators of these infrastructures face increasingly strict regulatory requirements.

The regulatory environment is shaped by several key frameworks. The NIS2 Directive establishes EU-wide cybersecurity and resilience obligations. The German KRITIS regulation defines which organizations qualify as critical entities and sets out their reporting and resilience duties. ISO 27001 adds a framework for structured information security management, while the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) raises the bar even further by demanding demonstrable resilience, regular testing, and clear executive accountability.

In short: compliance with KRITIS is not just a technical necessity. It has become a strategic business imperative. Non-compliance brings not only financial penalties, but also reputational damage and operational risk making KRITIS a leadership issue at board level.

Main Components of KRITIS

Holistic Asset Documentation

Create a living, visual model of the entire infrastructure by integrating physical, logical, and virtual layers into one unified, continuously updated system. Provide a single source of truth that supports transparency, consistency, and compliance across IT, data center, and network environments.

Dependency Mapping

Connect data center, network, facility, and virtualized services in one consistent model to visualize interdependencies and cascading effects. Enable clear understanding of how disruptions in one domain impact others, supporting proactive resilience management.

Simulation & Testing

Enable simulation of disruption scenarios and test change impacts to identify and address resilience gaps early. Demonstrate operational resilience through evidence-based planning and testing in line with DORA requirements.

Monitoring & Reporting

Provide continuous, data-driven visibility into all critical assets and processes. Automate compliance reporting to replace one-off audits with ongoing, verifiable insights that prove readiness and resilience in real time.

Governance & Accountability

Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and governance structures across all organizational levels. Maintain accountability and data quality through continuous monitoring, regular audits, and leadership oversight - making compliance a continuous discipline rather than a periodic exercise.

What are benefits of KRITIS Software Solutions?

Real-Time Transparency & Digital Twin

Complete visibility of physical, virtual, and logical infrastructures with continuously updated data.

Identification of Critical Assets & Resilience Measures

Detect essential services and implement safeguards to ensure availability, confidentiality, and integrity.

Simulation & What-If Analysis

Test outages, cyberattacks, or disruptions to proactively minimize risks.

Reporting & Regulatory Notifications

Automated, transparent processes for notifying authorities and generating compliance evidence.

Governance & Accountability

Clear assignment of roles at organizational and executive levels, ensuring verifiable compliance.

Integration & Harmonization

Seamless alignment with NIS2, ISO 27001, DORA, and other compliance frameworks.

Highlights of FNT’s KRITIS Software Solution

For Operators

Reduced workload through centralized, automated documentation.
Faster audit responses with reliable compliance evidence.
Improved change management and reduced risk of errors.

For Executives

Demonstrable compliance with KRITIS, NIS2, and DORA.
Protection against penalties and reputational risks.
Strategic decision-making based on real-time infrastructure data.

For the Organization

Higher operational resilience and reduced downtime.
Efficiency gains and cost savings.
Trust and competitive differentiation in critical markets

FNT provides a solution designed for the needs of critical infrastructure operators. At its heart is a powerful Digital Twin technology that transforms compliance from a reactive obligation into a proactive driver of resilience and efficiency. By combining documentation, monitoring, and simulation in one unified platform, the solution ensures that organizations are always ready to demonstrate compliance and operational strength.

Digital Twin of the Entire Infrastructure (Physical, Logical, Virtual)

Represents the current state of the entire infrastructure and integrates physical, logical, and virtual layers into a dynamic, continuously updated model. Creates holistic transparency of dependencies and resources, forming the foundation for compliance, efficiency, and operational resilience.

Simulation & Scenario Planning

Enables the simulation of disruptions, outages, and cyberattacks to realistically assess risks and identify resilience gaps before they become critical. Supports the demonstration of operational resilience as required by DORA.

Continuous Monitoring

Provides ongoing, data-driven monitoring instead of periodic assessments, ensuring the condition of critical assets is always traceable. Real-time monitoring creates the necessary transparency for robust, continuously verifiable resilience.

Automated Reporting

Automatically generates compliance evidence for internal and external audits. Delivers reliable, up-to-date reports and replaces manual documentation processes with continuous, data-driven proof of compliance.

Cross-Domain Mapping

Connects data center, network, virtual services, and facility management within a consistent model. Makes dependencies and interactions visible and enables unified management across all relevant infrastructure layers.

Governance & Responsibilities

Defines clear roles and responsibilities for compliance and resilience across all levels. Establishes solid governance structures that ensure data quality and accountability, turning compliance into a continuous process.

Do you want to proactively secure your critical infrastructure, demonstrate compliance, and make resilience measurable?

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FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about KRITIS

What does KRITIS mean in Germany and the EU?

KRITIS stands for Kritische Infrastrukturen (critical infrastructures). It refers to organizations and facilities essential for public safety, economic stability, and everyday life such as energy, healthcare, IT, finance, and transport. In Germany and the EU, KRITIS operators must follow strict cybersecurity and resilience requirements defined by regulations like NIS2, the German KRITIS regulation, and DORA.

Who is affected by KRITIS regulations?

KRITIS regulations apply to operators of critical infrastructures above certain size thresholds (e.g., energy providers, hospitals, financial institutions, transport hubs, and IT network operators). With the EU’s NIS2 directive, the scope has widened significantly, meaning many more companies across Europe are now obligated to comply with cybersecurity and resilience rules.

What happens if a company does not comply with KRITIS requirements?

Non-compliance can result in substantial fines, liability for damages, and reputational harm. Under NIS2 and DORA, executives and board members may even be held personally accountable for failures in cybersecurity and operational resilience.

How can companies ensure KRITIS compliance efficiently?

Manual approaches such as spreadsheets are no longer sufficient. Companies need integrated KRITIS software solutions that document assets, map dependencies, simulate risks, and provide real-time reporting. A Digital Twin of IT, data center, and network infrastructures is one of the most effective ways to achieve continuous compliance readiness.

How does KRITIS relate to NIS2 and DORA?

KRITIS is the German regulation for critical infrastructures, while NIS2 is an EU-wide directive expanding cybersecurity obligations across Europe. DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) goes further by requiring companies (especially in finance) to prove resilience through testing, monitoring, and supply chain oversight. Together, these frameworks create a comprehensive set of rules that critical infrastructure operators must follow.

Why choose FNT’s KRITIS Software Solution?

FNT offers a Digital Twin-based solution specifically designed for critical infrastructure operators in the EU. It ensures holistic visibility, automated compliance reporting, and resilience testing. By aligning directly with KRITIS, NIS2, ISO 27001, and DORA, FNT provides future-proof compliance and helps organizations turn regulatory pressure into a competitive advantage.

Further Downloads

Would you like to know more about KRITIS? The following assets may be relevant for you:

Whitepaper

Mastering Compliance in a Complex Regulatory Environment

Learn more

Compliance is no longer just about documentation—regulations like NIS2, KRITIS, ISO 27001, and DORA demand demonstrable resilience. This whitepaper shows how a Digital Twin transforms your IT, network, and data center infrastructure into a real-time tool for efficiency, risk reduction, and competitive advantage.

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