NISDESK
NIS2 compliance: NISDESK vs a consultant
There are three common paths to NIS2 readiness: hire a compliance consultant, work through it manually with in-house staff, or use a self-serve platform like NISDESK. Each has real trade-offs in cost, speed and depth. Below is a factual comparison to help you pick a starting point — and, for many organisations, a combination of these approaches ends up being the right answer.
| Dimension | Consultant | Manual / in-house | NISDESK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Typically €5,000–€30,000+ per engagement, depending on scope and sector | Low cash outlay, but significant internal staff time | Free scope check; paid plans from €149/mo, Pro at €399/mo |
| Time to first assessment | Days to weeks to schedule and scope the engagement | Days to weeks of reading and self-assessment before a first result | Minutes — free scope check gives an immediate verdict |
| Scope determination | Expert judgement, tailored to your entity structure | Self-assessed from the directive text; risk of misreading edge cases | Guided questionnaire mapped to sector/country rules, article-referenced |
| Gap analysis | Thorough, often includes interviews and document review | Manual checklist work; depth depends on in-house expertise | Automated against Article 21 measures, with AI-generated explanations |
| Policy templates | Often custom-drafted, billed separately or as part of scope | Built from scratch or adapted from generic public templates | Included in Basic/Pro plans, ready to adapt |
| Incident-reporting workflow | Advisory only — you still need to build or run the process | Built and tracked manually against the 24h/72h/1-month deadlines | Built-in 72h workflow with deadline tracking (Pro plan) |
| Ongoing regulation updates | Depends on retainer; typically a separate, billed service | You monitor national transpositions and guidance yourself | Platform content updated as national transpositions and guidance evolve |
| Audit-ready report | Yes, usually a core deliverable of the engagement | Possible, but time-consuming to assemble and format | PDF export designed for audit use (Pro plan) |
When a consultant still makes sense
NISDESK is built to get you from zero to an audit-ready baseline quickly and affordably — but there are situations where human judgement is worth the extra cost. If your organisation has a complex group structure spanning multiple entities and jurisdictions, if your scope determination is genuinely contested or ambiguous under national transposition law, or if you need a formal legal opinion for a regulator or board, a qualified consultant or lawyer is the right call. Many of our customers use NISDESK to handle the bulk of scope checking, gap analysis and documentation in-house, then bring in a consultant selectively for the hard edge cases — which is usually far cheaper than a full end-to-end engagement.
See where you stand in 5 minutes, for free
Run the free scope check, then decide whether Basic or Pro fits your team.
Free scope check →See pricing →Frequently asked questions
Is NISDESK a replacement for a NIS2 compliance consultant?
Not entirely. NISDESK automates scope determination, gap analysis and policy drafting so you can move fast and cheaply. For complex organisational structures, contested scope determinations, or formal legal opinions, a consultant or lawyer's judgement is still valuable — many teams use NISDESK to get 80% of the way there and bring in outside expertise for the remaining edge cases.
How much does a NIS2 compliance consultant cost?
Rates vary widely, but engagements for a single mid-size organisation commonly run from roughly €5,000 to €30,000+ depending on scope, sector complexity and whether ongoing retainer support is included. Larger or multi-entity organisations can pay significantly more.
Can I do NIS2 compliance myself without any tool or consultant?
Yes, in principle — the directive text and guidance are public. In practice, manual compliance means reading the directive and national transposition law yourself, building your own policy templates, and tracking regulatory updates by hand. It costs little in cash but a great deal in staff time, and mistakes in scope or gap analysis are easy to make without domain expertise.
How fast can I get a NIS2 gap analysis with NISDESK?
The free scope check takes about 5 minutes and gives an immediate verdict. A fuller gap analysis against Article 21 measures typically takes well under an hour of your time, since the platform pre-populates checks based on your sector and country.
Official sources
- NIS2 Directive (EU) 2022/2555 — EUR-Lex
- DORA Regulation (EU) 2022/2554 — EUR-Lex
- ENISA — EU Agency for Cybersecurity
Last reviewed: 2026-07-03
For decision-support purposes only. Costs and timelines are indicative and vary by engagement — consult a qualified expert for a quote or regulatory advice specific to your organisation.