With the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the EU creates uniform, binding cyber security requirements for digital products and software for the first time. What looks like regulatory effort at first glance is actually a crucial step towards more trust, quality and competitiveness, especially for innovative companies.

The CRA affects all products with digital elements that are marketed in the EU, from networked devices to software to embedded systems in industrial applications. In the future, companies that develop or sell such products must prove that their products meet basic security requirements. This ranges from secure default settings ("Secure by default") to active weakness management to transparent update processes over the entire product life cycle.

The most important points are:

• Safety aspects must be taken into account in product development and design right from the start ("Security by Design")
• Manufacturers are responsible for conformity throughout the entire product life cycle
• Clear processes are needed to detect, report and remedy security gaps

The challenge:

Smaller companies in particular often do not have their own security teams or experience with regulatory requirements. But if you ignore the CRA, you not only risk fines, but also the market access in the EU. Safety requirements “installed later” is complex, expensive and avoidable.

The chance:

Early compliance shows investors and customers that their company works responsibly, future-proof and marketable. It strengthens trust in its product - especially in security -critical industries such as medical technology, industry or networked infrastructure.