DORA Compliance: Will Your IT Systems Survive the Timebomb?

Organisations relying on IBM Power Systems running AIX or IBMi, maintained by a Third Party Maintenance (TPM) provider or a managed services/cloud infrastructure provider without legal access to IBM microcode and firmware updates, face significant compliance risks under the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA).

DORA mandates that financial institutions and their ICT systems demonstrate operational resilience through robust risk management, incident response, and third-party oversight. Without legal access to critical firmware updates, your organisation is exposed to hardware vulnerabilities, potentially derailing your compliance efforts.

Key Risks of Inadequate Firmware Updates

Unpatched Vulnerabilities:

• Lack of microcode updates leaves hardware-level vulnerabilities unresolved, increasing exposure to cyber threats.
• This violates DORA’s requirements for proactive ICT risk management and mitigation.

Delayed Incident Recovery:

• Hardware vulnerabilities can prolong recovery times during cyber incidents, undermining DORA’s standards for incident detection, response, and recovery.

Third-Party Risks:

• A TPM or cloud provider without IBM update access introduces unmanaged third-party risks, violating DORA’s oversight requirements.

Resilience Testing Challenges:

• Outdated firmware compromises the reliability of resilience tests like threat-led penetration testing (TLPT), critical for demonstrating compliance.

The Solution: Baby Blue IT Consulting and IBM

Transitioning maintenance back to IBM via Baby Blue IT Consulting ensures access to critical microcode and firmware updates, safeguarding your compliance with DORA.

Why Choose Baby Blue IT Consulting?

• Timely Updates: IBM’s updates address vulnerabilities proactively, ensuring ICT risk mitigation.
• Enhanced Recovery: Faster incident resolution with IBM support aligns with DORA’s incident management requirements.
• Third-Party Assurance: Partnering with IBM eliminates unmanaged risks from TPMs or cloud providers.
• Firmware Level Assessment and Updates: Our team conducts a thorough review of your current firmware levels, identifies outdated components, and updates them to the most recent versions.
• Compliance Expertise: Baby Blue IT Consulting specialises in aligning ICT infrastructure with DORA’s resilience mandates.

By transitioning your maintenance back to IBM with Baby Blue IT Consulting, you can strengthen your operational resilience, ensure regulatory compliance, and secure your organisation’s ICT infrastructure against evolving threats.