ENS Assessment for Spanish Municipalities

ENS Regulatory Context

Applicable Legal Framework

Royal Decree 311/2022 establishes the application of the National Security Scheme to local entities, marking a milestone in Spanish municipal cybersecurity:

Article 12: Mandatory for municipalities >50,000 inhabitants Article 15: System categorization requirements Article 18: Regular compliance audits Article 22: Mandatory incident notification

Implementation Challenges

Lack of Specialized Resources: 89% of municipalities without CISO or cybersecurity specialized personnel.

Technological Diversity: Heterogeneous ecosystems with legacy systems from different vendors.

Limited Budgets: Budget restrictions for cybersecurity investments.

Regulatory Complexity: 73 ENS controls with multiple implementation dimensions.

Diagnostic Methodology

Standardized Assessment Framework

Phase 1: System Categorization (Weeks 1-2)

Municipal Asset Inventory:

• Citizen management systems (registry, taxes, licenses)
• Technology infrastructure (servers, networks, databases)
• Critical applications (payroll, accounting, urban planning)
• Digital citizen services (electronic office, online procedures)

Categorization Methodology:

def categorize_system(confidentiality, integrity, availability):
    """
    ENS categorization based on security dimensions
    Levels: LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH
    """
    category = max(confidentiality, integrity, availability)
    
    if category == "HIGH":
        return "CATEGORY_III"
    elif category == "MEDIUM": 
        return "CATEGORY_II"
    else:
        return "CATEGORY_I"

Phase 2: Control Assessment (Weeks 3-6)

Organizational Controls (ORG):

• ORG.1: Organization security policy
• ORG.2: Security regulations
• ORG.3: Security procedures
• ORG.4: Authorization process

Operational Framework Controls (MP):

• MP.PER: Personnel - training and awareness
• MP.EQ: Equipment - configuration and maintenance
• MP.SI: Information systems - secure development
• MP.COM: Communications - network protection

Protection Controls (OP):

• OP.EXP: Operation - configuration management
• OP.EXT: Outsourcing - vendor management
• OP.CONT: Service continuity
• OP.MON: System monitoring

Phase 3: Compliance Plan (Weeks 7-8)

Gap Analysis:

• Gap analysis between current state and ENS requirements
• Control prioritization by risk and impact
• Resource requirement estimation
• Phased implementation timeline

Developed Tools

Digital Diagnostic Platform

Self-Assessment Portal:

• Web interface developed in PowerApps
• Guided questionnaires by control category
• Automatic evidence validation
• Executive report generation

Analysis Engine:

class ENSDiagnostic:
    def __init__(self, municipality_data):
        self.municipality = municipality_data
        self.ens_controls = load_ens_controls()
        
    def assess_compliance(self):
        """Assesses compliance level by dimension"""
        results = {}
        
        for category in ['ORG', 'MP', 'OP']:
            category_controls = self.ens_controls[category]
            compliance = self.calculate_compliance(category_controls)
            results[category] = compliance
            
        return results
        
    def generate_roadmap(self):
        """Generates prioritized implementation roadmap"""
        gaps = self.identify_gaps()
        roadmap = self.prioritize_by_risk(gaps)
        return roadmap

Centralized Dashboard:

• Aggregated view of all participating municipalities
• Progress indicators by autonomous community
• Benchmarking between similar municipalities
• Critical non-compliance alerts

Templates and Documentation

Compliance Toolkit:

• 47 policy and procedure templates
• Configuration guides by technology
• Internal audit checklists
• Risk analysis templates

Knowledge Center:

• Knowledge base with use cases
• Video tutorials for civil servants
• Monthly regulatory update webinars
• Technical consultation forum

Results by Municipality

Comparative Compliance Analysis

Category III Municipalities (>200k inhabitants):

• Initial average status: 34% compliance
• Final average status: 87% compliance
• Critical controls implemented: 92%

Category II Municipalities (100k-200k inhabitants):

• Initial average status: 28% compliance
• Final average status: 89% compliance
• Critical controls implemented: 88%

Category I Municipalities (50k-100k inhabitants):

• Initial average status: 21% compliance
• Final average status: 92% compliance
• Critical controls implemented: 94%

Outstanding Success Cases

Getafe City Council (Madrid)

Challenge: 1990s legacy systems, limited technical staff Solution: Complete migration to Azure Government Cloud Result: 96% ENS compliance, ISO 27001 certification

Marbella City Council (Málaga)

Challenge: High public exposure, critical tourism services Solution: 24x7 municipal SOC implementation Result: 0 critical incidents in 12 months post-implementation

Gijón City Council (Asturias)

Challenge: Distributed infrastructure, multiple locations Solution: Zero Trust architecture with Microsoft Sentinel Result: 89% reduction in security false positives

Training Program

Specialized Technical Curriculum

Module 1: ENS Fundamentals (16 hours)

• Regulatory framework and legal context
• Categorization methodology
• Applied risk management

Module 2: Technical Controls (24 hours)

• Secure configuration of Windows/Linux systems
• Identity and access management
• Security monitoring and logging

Module 3: Audit and Compliance (16 hours)

• Internal audit techniques
• Evidence documentation
• External audit preparation

Program Results

Certifications Obtained:

• 450 civil servants certified in basic ENS level
• 127 technicians certified in advanced level
• 34 security officers certified as internal auditors

Capability Impact:

• 340% increase in incident detection
• 67% reduction in response time
• 89% improvement in process documentation

Lessons Learned

Critical Success Factors

Political Commitment: Visible support from mayor and key councilors Pragmatic Approach: Prioritization of highest impact controls Continuous Training: Ongoing training vs. one-time sessions Inter-municipal Collaboration: Sharing of best practices and resources

Overcome Challenges

Change Resistance: 43% of civil servants initially reluctant

• Solution: Champions program and benefit communication

Budget Limitations: Average budgets of €120k/year

• Solution: Cloud solutions, shared licensing, national grants

Technical Complexity: Lack of internal specialized knowledge

• Solution: Hybrid model with intensive training and remote support

Recognition

CITIES 2023 Award: Best municipal digital transformation initiative ENISE Mention: Excellence in promoting public cybersecurity OECD Benchmark: Case study for member countries

The municipal ENS program established an international precedent in the standardization of governmental cybersecurity, demonstrating that it’s possible to achieve large-scale regulatory compliance while maintaining economic and operational sustainability.