NIS2 Expert in Cologne
for resilient compliance with vetted and available freelancers matched in minutesHire experts who translate the NIS2 Directive into practical security measures, incident response processes and supply-chain controls. Work with vetted, available freelancers selected for your regulatory, technical and organisational requirements.
Meet FRATCH Experts in Cologne, who have recently used NIS2
Jens R.
Last position:
Platform Architect & Senior Developer at Direct client, industrial measurement technology, medium-sized company
- Technical leadership across hardware, firmware, and software teams; scope: hardware/firmware team (4 people) and leadership group (5 people)
- Consolidated and documented a product family that had grown over more than 15 years and aligned it with CRA compliance — from the bare-metal I/O module to the cloud interface.
- Provided the most important customer product with the essential requirements and architecture documentation within two months — for a firmware landscape that had grown over more than 15 years. It now supports the customer’s modernization strategy.
- Established a monthly reporting line to the supervisory board and executive board within three months: nine meetings since 12/2025. The report itself is versioned and built from the CI pipeline; it is based on automatically collected activity and release data instead of assessments.
- Built a container-based CI/CD infrastructure from scratch: cross-compilation, host tests, and documentation builds in one continuous pipeline.
- Introduced declarative QA gates for DevOps and development artifacts — from the start using lefthook instead of pre-commit, executed in a dedicated container image.
Technologies used: arc42, req42, tpo42, docToolchain, PlantUML, ArchiMate, C4 model, ADR, C, C++ (GTest), CMake, Bare Metal (ARM Cortex-M3/M7), OCI containers, Jenkins, lefthook, Prometheus, Grafana, SBOM, CRA, OPC, SCADA, PLC integration, IPv6 migration, Zero Trust, Sociocracy 3.0, Cynefin
Pierre G.
Last position:
Ansible Automation, Windows Third Level Support at DB InfraGO AG
- PRISMA project
- Ansible automation
- Windows third-level support for Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows 2013, Windows 2016, Windows 2019
Halil O.
Last position:
Senior Cloud Operations & DevSecOps Engineer (Azure / Terraform / CI-CD) at KfW Bankengruppe
Regulated environment within a German banking group (approx. 8,500 employees, hybrid cloud strategy).
Responsible for operating, provisioning, and continuously securing business-critical platforms – including a GenAI chat application, a big data/AI platform, and data science workspaces based on Azure Virtual Desktops and VMs. Ownership of Azure DevOps projects for ShaiHulud and React2Shell, as well as BSI alerts – Security Operations improvements across the SDLC.
Deployment responsibility for the GenAI chat application, big data/AI platform (BDAI), and data science workspaces (AVD/VM-based) in the respective landing zones.
Deployment & release management: end-to-end responsibility for deploying portal and service applications across multiple Azure landing zones, including technical approvals, compliance with development team deployment guidelines, and ensuring ITIL-based change and release processes via ServiceNow.
Azure landing zones & network architecture: design, provisioning, and operation of Azure landing zones for 3-tier web applications with enhanced network segmentation, VNet peering, hub-and-spoke architectures, private endpoints, and firewall integration across separate subscriptions and tenants.
Azure DevOps governance & operations: ownership of the Azure DevOps organization, including projects, repositories, and CI/CD pipelines; implementation of governance requirements such as branch policies, approval gates, permission models, and audit-ready operating structures.
Infrastructure as Code (Terraform): design, implementation, and operation of a modular Terraform architecture for standardized cloud infrastructure deployment, including state management, provider versioning, reusability, and policy-as-code approaches.
CI/CD pipeline engineering: design, operation, and optimization of complex YAML-based CI/CD pipelines with multi-stage deployments, template standardization, self-hosted agents, integrated secret management, and automated quality and security checks.
Git migration & platform consolidation: planning and execution of repository and pipeline migration from Azure DevOps to GitLab CI/CD, including automated scripts, full Git history transfer, pipeline porting, and platform consolidation.
Container & platform operations (AKS): operation and security assessment of containerized workloads on Azure Kubernetes Service, centralization of on-premises container registries for ACR.
OpenShift (OCP) security reviews: security assessment of code baselines, build pipelines, and deployment processes for on-premises OpenShift clusters with critical applications, and derivation of specific hardening recommendations.
Shift-left security & DevSecOps transformation: introduction of a company-wide shift-left approach for early security integration in development and deployment processes, enabling developers to perform self-led security checks and sustainably reduce vulnerabilities before production (IDE integrations, pre-commit hooks, local scanners).
Software supply chain security: analysis and mitigation of supply chain risks in NPM- and Yarn-based applications through dependency audits, CI/CD pipeline hardening, token rotation, and restriction of risky build and lifecycle mechanisms.
Frontend & framework security (React / Next.js): security assessment and coordination of critical vulnerability remediation across platform applications and web frameworks, including coordination and complementary technical mitigations with all teams following BSI alerts.
Software composition analysis (SCA): introduction and operation of automated vulnerability scans for container images, pipelines/artifacts, and third-party dependencies, including SBOM exports within CI/CD pipelines.
SAST/DAST integration: design and piloting of static and dynamic application security tests in close collaboration with security architecture and development teams, for continuous improvement of code and runtime security, and establishing operational acceptance tests.
Artifact & registry consolidation: analysis and consolidation of all package and container repositories for service applications and AKS workloads, aiming for a centralized, secured registry strategy with centralized vulnerability scanning and governance.
Dependency-Track & SBOM strategy: advising the compliance board on introducing a central SBOM and vulnerability management platform to increase enterprise-wide dependency transparency and accelerate CVE response capability.
CI/CD pipeline hardening: security analysis and cleanup of the existing pipeline landscape by removing unused pipelines, improving secrets hygiene, implementing least-privilege principles, and isolating build agent environments.
Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) optimization: analysis and tuning of existing Azure WAF rules (OWASP Top 10 Core Rule Set, DSR/SDC, custom rules) to defend against known vulnerabilities and exploit patterns, including reducing false positives and improving threat detection.
Documentation & stakeholder communication: creating and maintaining technical documentation, runbooks, and architecture overviews in Jira and Confluence, as well as active knowledge transfer between operations, development, security, and compliance stakeholders.
Serdar C.
Last position:
Consultant at Freelance
- ISO 27001 implementation & audit readiness
- NIS2 & DORA compliance support
- Interim / fractional CISO services
- IT risk & controls (ITGC, SOX, COBIT, BAIT)
- M&A and IT due diligence for startups/ventures
- Business continuity management (BCM, ISO 22301)
- Cybersecurity framework development (NIST, ISO, BSI)
- GRC tool advisory (Archer, ServiceNow)
Valeri M.
Last position:
Associate Partner - Information Security Consulting at Insentis GmbH
- Improvement of the Information Security Management System (ISMS) based on ISO 27001, NIS2, DORA, B3S, TISAX and BSI IT Baseline Protection
- Conducting comprehensive gap analyses to identify gaps and derive action plans according to the above standards and regulations; management and KPIs
- Data Loss Prevention strategy and implementation using MS Purview
- Vulnerability and patch management, security monitoring
- Risk analysis and threat modeling using the STRIDE methodology
- Development of vendor risk assessments, implementation of risk classifications, conducting supplier assessments and implementing technical monitoring solutions (e.g. Security ScoreCard)
- Securing cloud environments (AWS and Azure); expertise in CSPM/CNAPP (Wiz), cloud migration, secure CI/CD pipelines, container security and best practices in AWS, Azure and Office 365
- Application security: penetration testing, DevSecOps, OWASP, pre-commit hooks, key and secret management, IDE plugins, static source code analysis, dependency checks, container scanning, vulnerability management, CIS benchmarks and compliance
- Security assessment and hardening according to CIS benchmarks and cloud conformity in AWS, Office 365 and Azure
Thomas U.
Last position:
Senior Consultant / PM Infrastructure Services & Workplace Migration at Freelance
- All Windows clients are managed in a hybrid, central AD
- Client standardization
- Implementation of information security policy requirements
- Development of new infrastructure services delivered as a managed service by a new provider
- New IT platform is a central and secure directory service
- M365 Azure AD
- MS terminal services
- Zscaler
- M365 cloud for workplace management
- PaaS / SaaS is procured through a new provider
Fabian F.
Last position:
OT Security Champion Europe at FCS Flock Consulting Services
- Conducted OT security assessments at European manufacturing facilities
- Analyzed and improved IT security processes and infrastructure
- Revised SOC processes in conjunction with the internal SOC team
- Conducted OT incident training and tabletop exercises
- Facilitated C-level workshops to align European OT security strategy
- Evaluated regulatory changes related to NIS2 and their relevance to the client
Nikolaus B.
Last position:
ICT Risk Management and Information Security at B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG
- Independently develop policies, guidelines, and frameworks for ICT risk management and information security
- Advise business units on ICT risk management and information security
- Further develop the ICT risk management framework that governs the identification, assessment, and control of ICT risks
- Evaluate the Information Security Management System (ISMS) and adjust it for new challenges
- Conduct risk analyses to identify and assess potential ICT risks and information security risks for the Metzler Group
- Advise on defining and implementing measures to reduce risks and improve the resilience of ICT systems
- Advise on ensuring compliance with relevant internal and external regulatory requirements (MaRisk, DORA, BAIT, BSI IT baseline protection, ISMS, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, ISO 27005, BCM ISO 22301)
- Advise on internal and cross-functional projects (SAP DORA compliance, Target2, Section 8a BSI Act)
Phil E.
Last position:
Principal Cybersecurity Consultant at SC&E Advisory GmbH
- Development of compliance products
- Senior Cybersecurity Consultant: NIS2: impact assessment, obligations, action planning, roadmaps
- NIS2 · DORA · CRA
- Design of ISO 27001 ISMS implementation project on a fixed-price basis
- Governance consultancy in M&A situations
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Statistics of experts using NIS2
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
16 years (Germany: 20 years)
Position duration
1.7 years (Germany: 2.1 years)
Positions per freelancer
17 (Germany: 15)
Top business areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Quality Assurance
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Healthcare
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Audit, Quality Assurance
Bachelor's degree or higher
50% (Germany: 83%)
Master's degree or higher
33% (Germany: 46%)
Certifications per freelancer
8 (Germany: 7)
Most common languages
German, English, Turkish
Speak two or more languages
100% (Germany: 95%)
Based on our profile pool as of 19 Sep 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this technology in Cologne are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range.
Average rates of experts in Cologne using NIS2
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 19 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
NIS2 experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (100%)
- Professional Services (67%)
- Healthcare (56%)
- Manufacturing (56%)
- Energy (44%)
- Banking and Finance (44%)
- Insurance (44%)
- Government and Administration (33%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the technology
Scope of NIS2
NIS2 is the European Union directive for a higher, more consistent level of cybersecurity across essential and important entities. It expands on the original NIS Directive and covers governance, risk management, incident handling, business continuity and supply-chain security. Companies must understand whether their services and size place them within scope, then document appropriate controls.
Compliance Workstreams
NIS2 work is broader than a policy review. It connects executive accountability with operational safeguards, evidence and reporting processes.
- Determine entity classification and applicable obligations
- Assess cyber risks across systems, sites and suppliers
- Define incident detection, escalation and notification paths
- Map controls to internal policies and audit evidence
- Establish resilience, recovery and continuity measures
Technology Landscape
NIS2 does not prescribe one product or architecture. Specialists work across identity and access management, endpoint protection, network security, vulnerability management, logging, SIEM, backup and disaster recovery. They may align controls with ISO 27001, IEC 62443, CIS Controls or national guidance while keeping the NIS2 Directive as the regulatory reference.
When Specialists Help
Companies often bring in freelance expertise when an internal security team needs regulatory interpretation, an assessment must be completed, or evidence is scattered across departments. External professionals can support a new governance model, prepare for supervisory review, coordinate suppliers or turn a gap analysis into an actionable remediation plan.
- Affected entities lack a clear NIS2 scope assessment
- Incident reporting roles and escalation routes are unclear
- Third-party risk is not documented consistently
- Security controls exist but cannot be evidenced
Cologne Collaboration
In Cologne, NIS2 work can involve industrial operations, logistics, healthcare, digital services and other organisations that depend on connected infrastructure. Freelance specialists may work remotely with security, legal, IT and executive teams, or join workshops on site. German-language coordination can matter for local stakeholders, while English is common in international technology and supplier environments.
Strong NIS2 Practice
Strong professionals connect legal requirements to controls that teams can operate and prove. They ask precise questions about critical services, dependencies, threat exposure and decision rights before proposing measures. Look for clear scope reasoning, experience with incident exercises and supplier reviews, practical documentation, and the ability to explain risk to both executives and technical teams.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions that come up most around NIS2.
NIS2 sets cybersecurity and resilience obligations for entities that provide important services to the European economy and society. It addresses risk management, incident reporting, governance, business continuity and supply-chain security rather than prescribing a single technical solution.
The NIS2 Directive broadens the sectors and types of entities covered and introduces more consistent requirements across the European Union. It also places stronger emphasis on management accountability, supply-chain risk, reporting processes and supervisory enforcement.
A strong NIS2 professional usually combines regulatory analysis with security risk assessment, incident response, business continuity and supplier governance. Familiarity with ISO 27001, SIEM processes, identity controls, cloud security and audit evidence can make the work more effective.
The right level depends on the scope, sector and maturity of the organisation. A focused gap assessment may need a specialist who can work independently, while implementation across critical services requires professionals who can coordinate governance, technical teams, suppliers and leadership.
NIS2 projects can often be delivered remotely when documentation, system owners and decision-makers are accessible online. On-site workshops may still help with process discovery, operational technology reviews and alignment between Cologne-based teams and external suppliers.
Collect information about legal entities, services, locations, critical systems, suppliers, existing policies and previous security assessments. For NIS2, a clear project objective and access to accountable stakeholders are more useful than a generic compliance checklist.
Quality is visible in a defensible scope assessment, traceable control mapping and practical evidence requirements. An experienced NIS2 Directive specialist should connect each recommendation to a risk, owner, action and verification method instead of producing policies that teams cannot use.
NIS2 applies across areas such as energy, transport, healthcare, digital infrastructure, manufacturing, public administration and selected digital services. The exact obligations depend on the entity and its services, so professionals should assess applicability rather than assume that an entire industry is covered.
The average hourly rate of freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used NIS2 in their recent projects is 134 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,074 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used NIS2 in their recent projects, 50% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 33% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used NIS2 in their recent projects have 16 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 1.7 years.
The most common languages among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used NIS2 in their recent projects are German (100%), English (100%), and Turkish (22%).
The most common industries among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used NIS2 in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Professional Services (67%), and Healthcare (56%).
The most common business areas among freelancers in Cologne, Germany who have used NIS2 in their recent projects are Information Technology (100%), Project Management (100%), and Quality Assurance (78%).
Main locations of FRATCH Experts, who have recently used NIS2
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin 
Munich 
Frankfurt 
Essen Request a free demo
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
