Co-Founder & Growth Executive

Jul 07, 2025

7 min. read

Introducing the DORA Registry Tool: smarter compliance for third-party risk

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Introducing the DORA Registry Tool: smarter compliance for third-party risk

Third-party risk management under DORA presents a significant challenge: Article 28 mandates a continuously updated Register of Information, yet no off-the-shelf tool is provided by the ESAs. Many institutions resort to Excel-style interfaces, manually opening contracts, hunting for codes, company names, or country details, and copy/pasting that information across multiple tabs—an error-prone, time-consuming process.

That’s why we launched the DORA Registry Tool. Designed around a contract-centric filling process, it replaces tedious spreadsheets with a single, guided form. Users enter each detail just once; the platform then merges and distributes that data across all relevant tables, validations, and export formats (XML/CSV) without breaking relational logic. Behind the scenes, it automates relationship checks, code-dictionary management, and regulator-ready output generation—yet from the user’s perspective, there’s no repeated copy/pasting or tab-hopping.

CyberUpgrade’s DORA Registry Tool delivers a faster, more reliable, and audit-ready compliance experience than anything else on the market. In the rest of this article, I’ll explore how it works, what legacy processes it replaces, and why it’s the smoothest path to DORA compliance.

The growing need for automation in DORA compliance

Financial institutions today face dual pressures: meeting strict DORA requirements and doing so efficiently with existing resources. Traditional tools—usually spreadsheets—fail under the weight of complex interdependencies, multiple update cycles, and strict data validation rules. That complexity has created a steep learning curve, especially for smaller teams or those new to DORA.

CyberUpgrade’s DORA Registry Tool changes the equation. It simplifies register management through automation, reducing both technical complexity and the time required to complete each entry. Teams can build a complete Register of Information from contracts in a matter of hours, not days. That means faster onboarding, fewer errors, and consistent readiness for supervisory audits.

TaskManual SpreadsheetsCyberUpgrade DORA Registry Tool
Data InputCopied into 15+ separate tablesSingle-entry form with field linking
Code LookupManual reference to code dictionariesAuto-filled with in-form suggestions
Error CheckingManual and retrospectiveReal-time validation as you go
Export Format (XML/CSV)Requires scripting or manual formattingOne-click, regulator-ready export
Change ManagementRequires editing across multiple sheetsCentralized and automatically synced
Comparison of traditional methods vs CyberUpgrade DORA Registry Tool

The result is not just a faster process—it’s a shift from reactive compliance to proactive oversight.

Inside the DORA Registry Tool: how it works

The core of the tool is a structured, guided entry interface designed to reflect the DORA schema exactly. Each form field corresponds directly to regulatory requirements, and logic checks are built in to catch mistakes before they become reporting problems. Once entered, data is linked across all 15 datasets—contracts, services, vendors, subcontractors—automatically.

For example, entering a new ICT provider with critical business functions prompts the system to populate all related entries, assign appropriate codes, and flag risk thresholds. Updates to contracts, like end dates or support changes, cascade through the register instantly.

FunctionDescription
Guided Entry FormSimplifies data input with human-readable fields
Automatic Relationship MappingLinks vendors, services, and contracts with built-in logic
Data ValidationChecks all entries in real time for format, completeness, and logic
One-Time InputInformation entered once is reused across relevant tables
Export FunctionGenerates fully formatted XML/CSV exports for regulators
Core functions of the DORA Registry Tool

The user experience is designed for accessibility, enabling compliance and legal professionals to manage the process without requiring deep technical knowledge or coding skills.

Eliminating major compliance challenges

Building a register of information might seem straightforward until you’re dealing with 15 interlinked tables, dozens of contracts, and a regulator who accepts no errors. Even small oversights—like a misapplied service code or missing subcontractor relationship—can derail a submission.

CyberUpgrade’s tool solves this in three ways: form validation, logic-driven automation, and single-source data entry. This reduces time spent checking and cross-checking spreadsheet rows, and eliminates the risk of format or logic errors.

ChallengeImpact on InstitutionsSolution in DORA Registry Tool
Manual entry across multiple tablesTime-consuming and error-proneUnified entry point with smart distribution
Dependency validationErrors break relationships across datasetsBuilt-in logic validation during entry
Report formattingRequires precision and coding expertiseOne-click export in validated XML/CSV
Maintaining register over timeUpdates often break schema linksAutomatically synced and version-controlled
Key compliance challenges addressed

By resolving these issues at the data input level, the tool ensures long-term compliance without requiring ongoing manual corrections or IT involvement.

How the DORA Registry Tool fits into CyberUpgrade’s platform

CyberUpgrade’s product suite is built for modular compliance. The DORA Registry Tool can be used on its own or in combination with existing CyberUpgrade tools, including our core DORA modules and third-party risk workflows. This flexibility means customers can expand as they grow without restructuring their processes.

Compared to the rest: what makes our tool different?

Most DORA registry solutions on the market offer a narrow interface—often an Excel-like spreadsheet or CSV import—that forces users to juggle multiple tabs and manually copy/paste data from the contract into every relevant field. Users must open the contract, hunt for codes, company names, countries, and then insert them repeatedly in different parts of the tool. This process is time-consuming, error-prone, and hard to track.

In contrast, CyberUpgrade employs a contract-centric filling process: you begin by reviewing the contract and entering all required data once into a guided web form. Our solution then automatically merges and distributes that profile information—codes, entity names, countries, etc.—throughout the entire DORA registry tables. Embedded logic and validation guide you from contract review to final report submission, with pre-validated export formats ready for submission. There’s no need for third-party implementations or custom integrations, and no repeated copy/paste across multiple tabs.

FeatureCommon ToolsCyberUpgrade DORA Registry Tool
Entry FormatSpreadsheet or CSV; Excel-like interface requiring multiple copy/paste from contractGuided web-based form with contract-centric input: enter data once and propagate automatically
Code HandlingManual lookup; users copy/paste codes repeatedlyAutomated suggestions and dictionary linking; contract-aware code mapping
Update ManagementManual per table; changes must be applied in multiple placesSynced updates across all linked data via a single profile
Export CapabilityCSV/XBRL export but requires manual checks and adjustmentsPre-validated XML/CSV exports, ready for submission
Integration RequirementsStandalone tools that often need custom onboarding or integrationsOptional standalone or integrated with CyberUpgrade platform; no third-party required
Target UserTypically IT or Regulatory Reporting teams accustomed to spreadsheetsLegal, Risk, and Compliance teams empowered with a streamlined, non-technical UX
Feature comparison with typical alternatives

This distinction is critical: CyberUpgrade’s contract-centric approach empowers non-technical users to manage high-stakes regulatory tasks efficiently—eliminating repetitive copy/paste, reducing errors and bottlenecks, and guiding the entire process from the contract text to final submission.

Unlocking DORA compliance for everyone

Regulators aren’t handing out tools for DORA compliance—but CyberUpgrade is. We’re still in the development stage of the product but want to offer it to as many customers as possible, so we’re opening it to early access customers as a free trial. The DORA Registry Tool offers automation, accessibility, and regulatory alignment in one platform. By dramatically lowering the barrier to entry, it allows compliance and legal professionals to confidently manage their registers without external help or spreadsheet fatigue.

Whether you need to meet your first reporting deadline or want to scale up your audit readiness, the DORA Registry Tool gets you there—efficiently, accurately, and without the guesswork.

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Co-Founder & Growth Executive

He is a growth-driven entrepreneur with over a decade of experience scaling SaaS and proptech solutions, specializing in cybersecurity compliance automation (DORA, NIS2, GDPR), vendor risk management, field service management software, and product strategy for fintech and tech firms.

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