Cyber Consultancy & Operational Resilience for Financial Services
Meet FCA and PRA operational resilience expectations including the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) where it applies to your organisation with cyber consultancy built for regulated firms. Our certified consultants strengthen your ICT risk management, close ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials gaps, and help you demonstrate digital operational resilience to regulators and the supply chains that depend on you.
Our certified consultants help you meet FCA expectations, manage supply chain risk, and implement robust ISMS frameworks.
DORA and Operational Resilience for Financial Services
Build ICT risk management and digital operational resilience that satisfies the FCA, the PRA, and the EU's Digital Operational Resilience Act
The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) sets a harmonised EU standard for how financial entities and their ICT third-party providers manage technology risk, report incidents, and test resilience. While the UK is not directly bound by DORA, it applies to UK financial institutions with EU branches, EU clients, or EU counterparties and it sits alongside the FCA and PRA's own Operational Resilience framework, which has required UK firms to identify important business services, set impact tolerances, and demonstrate they can stay within them since March 2022.
Claranet supports financial institutions across these requirements with services built for regulated environments, not generic security packages. Our ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials consultancy establishes the documented ISMS foundation that regulators expect to see as evidence of ICT risk management closing gaps through structured assessment rather than a one-off audit. Alongside this, our 24/7 Security Operations Centre and Managed Detection & Response service provide the continuous monitoring, threat hunting, and incident evidence that both DORA and FCA/PRA reporting obligations require, across cloud, on-premise, and hybrid estates.
Resilience testing is handled through our CREST-accredited penetration testing, including CBEST simulation services for banking clients giving in-scope institutions threat-led testing that satisfies Bank of England, FCA, and PRA expectations, not just a standard vulnerability scan. Together, these services turn operational resilience from a point-in-time compliance exercise into an ongoing, evidenced capability: documented risk management, continuous detection, and regulator-ready testing, all delivered by a single accredited partner.
ISO 27001 gap analysis & implementation for Financial Services
Achieve and maintain your ISO 27001 certification, a critical requirement for the financial services supply chain. We conduct a thorough gap analysis of your Information Security Management System (ISMS) against regulatory guidelines. Our experts guide you through the entire implementation, ensuring your data protection controls are robust, auditable, and meet stringent third-party risk management expectations. A robust ISMS is also foundational evidence for DORA and FCA/PRA operational resilience assessments regulators expect to see documented ICT risk management, not just certification
Cyber essentials & essentials plus certification for Financial Services
Cyber Essentials is fundamental for supply chain management when working with financial services. We have a proven track record of supporting multi-billion pound businesses in achieving both Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus. Our streamlined process minimizes disruption and ensures you meet the baseline security standards required by your partners and regulators. This baseline is also increasingly referenced in third-party ICT risk assessments under DORA and FCA/PRA supply-chain due diligence, making it a practical first step toward demonstrable operational resilience.
Integrated SOC, MDR & continuous security testing for Financial Services
Claranet has a dedicated 24/7/365 Security Operations Centre (SOC) where we can install and manage MDR and EDR agents on your hosted and managed cloud solutions. This can be packaged into your solution, helping you meet FCA, PRA, and where applicable DORA incident detection and reporting requirements. We also add a layer of continuous security testing to ensure your estate is pentested every month, with findings reported back to you.
Ready to Strengthen Your Operational Resilience?
Let's talk about your ICT risk management, FCA/PRA and DORA readiness, and how CREST-accredited testing and MDR give your board the evidence regulators expect.
Speak to a Financial Services Cyber Security Expert
Or call us on 0330 390 0507
Financial Services cyber FAQs for Financial Services
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The Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) is an EU regulation requiring financial entities and their critical ICT providers to manage technology risk, test resilience, and report ICT incidents to a harmonised EU standard. It applies to in-scope UK firms with EU operations, clients, or counterparties.
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In the UK, Operational Resilience is the FCA and PRA framework requiring firms to identify their important business services, set impact tolerances for disruption, and prove - through testing - that they can stay within those tolerances even during a severe but plausible ICT or cyber incident.
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UK firms are not directly regulated by DORA unless they operate in the EU, serve EU clients, or act as a critical ICT third-party provider to EU financial entities. Where it applies, DORA adds ICT risk management, incident reporting, resilience testing, and third-party oversight obligations that sit alongside existing FCA and PRA requirements.
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ICT risk management is the ongoing process of identifying, assessing, and controlling risks to an organisation's technology systems and data - covering everything from cyber threats and system failures to third-party ICT supplier risk and is a core requirement of both DORA and the FCA/PRA Operational Resilience framework.
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Claranet builds the underlying capability both frameworks require: ISO 27001-aligned ICT risk management, 24/7 SOC monitoring and Managed Detection & Response for incident visibility and reporting evidence, and CREST-accredited penetration testing — including CBEST simulation for banking clients — to evidence resilience testing obligations.
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ISO 27001 provides the framework for a robust Information Security Management System (ISMS). For financial services, it demonstrates to regulators, auditors, and partners that you have strong, documented controls for managing data security, risk, and business continuity. It's a cornerstone of supply chain trust and regulatory compliance.
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Cyber Essentials is a UK government-backed scheme that protects against common cyber threats (e.g., malware, phishing). It's a vital baseline for all businesses. ISO 27001 is a much broader, internationally recognised standard for a comprehensive ISMS, covering risk assessment, governance, and continuous improvement. Financial institutions often require Cyber Essentials as a minimum from their supply chain, and ISO 27001 for partners with higher-risk access.
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ISO 42001 is the world's first management system standard for Artificial Intelligence. As financial firms rapidly adopt AI for fraud detection, credit scoring, and algorithmic trading, this standard provides a crucial framework to manage risks, ensure ethical considerations, and govern AI systems responsibly. This is a growing area of focus for regulators like the FCA.
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At a minimum, most financial institutions will expect their fintech partners to hold Cyber Essentials Plus. For any partner handling sensitive financial data or integrated into core systems, ISO 27001 certification is fast becoming a non-negotiable requirement to prove your security posture and satisfy supply chain risk assessments.
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An ISO 27001 gap analysis is a detailed review of your current security controls, policies, and procedures compared to the requirements of the standard. Our consultants identify where you meet the requirements and, more importantly, where the gaps are. The duration depends on your organization's size and complexity, but it's the critical first step in building a project plan for full implementation and certification.