Apps behind on releases
Fixes and features went to the primary site. The DR copy is weeks of commits behind, so the loan app breaks after the move.
Tech Buddy for NBFCs
Switch to your DR site in minutes, not weeks.
Most NBFCs find out their DR site is broken on the day they need it: apps several releases behind, databases out of sync, servers that drifted apart, certificates that expired. We fix the drift, automate the switchover and keep you RBI and DPDP ready, as your independent virtual CTO and CISO.
No access needed to start
NDA before any internal review
No vendor commissions
DR readiness check
Primary site vs DR site
- App release on DR site3 releases behindSame release
- Database replicationOut of syncIn sync, monitored
- Server and OS config41 differences0 differences
- SSL certificates2 expired on DRAuto-renewed
- DNS and IP cut-overManual, 12 stepsOne runbook
- Secrets and API keysMissing on DRSynced
- Last DR drillNever completedPassed this half-year
Switchover time3 weeksMinutes
Sample check for illustrationTech Buddy by NXTBYTE
Drift scan: primary vs DR
DR site switchover
Why moving to DR takes NBFCs weeks.
It is rarely the hardware. It is the small differences that pile up between your primary and DR sites, discovered one by one on the day you switch.
Databases out of sync
Replication stopped quietly months ago, or lags by hours. Nobody knows which records are missing until customers call.
Servers drifted apart
Different OS patches, packages, configs and environment settings on each side. Every difference is a new error on switchover day.
Certificates and secrets
SSL certificates expired on DR, API keys and passwords never copied across. Payment, KYC and bureau integrations fail first.
Manual cut-over
DNS, IP whitelists and hard-coded endpoints are changed by hand, one at a time, by the one person who remembers how.
No rehearsed runbook
The DR plan is a document, not a procedure. It has never been run end to end, so each drill turns into a project.
Sound familiar?
Most NBFC tech risk hides in plain sight.
Small NBFCs rarely have a CTO or a security head. Technology sits with one vendor, one IT person or the promoter's nephew, until an inspection, a breach or a lost server makes it urgent.
Our loan software vendor holds the data, the server and the passwords. We just pay the invoice.What small NBFC founders tell us
Our last move to the DR site took three weeks, and the loan app still broke.What small NBFC founders tell us
We take backups every night. Nobody has ever tried to restore one.What small NBFC founders tell us
The RBI inspection team asked for our IS audit and DR drill report. We had neither.What small NBFC founders tell us
A fake loan app is using our name and logo on the Play Store.What small NBFC founders tell us
Everyone says we should use AI for collections and credit. Nobody can tell us what is safe.What small NBFC founders tell us
Every one of these is fixable in weeks, not years. The hard part is having someone senior and independent own it.
What we do
One independent tech partner for the whole NBFC.
Pick a focused fix, such as DPDP readiness or a DR drill, or hand us the full virtual CTO and CISO role. Either way you get a senior person accountable for outcomes.
Virtual CTO and CISO
A senior technology and security head for your NBFC, part time. Owns the tech roadmap, vendor decisions and board or IT Strategy Committee reporting.
RBI IT readiness
Gap assessment against the RBI IT expectations for your layer, board-approved policies, CISO and committee set-up, and a file that is ready when inspection asks.
DR site and switchover
Primary and DR kept identical, switchover scripted and rehearsed, so moving to DR takes minutes. Backups restored and checked, and we lead recovery if data is lost or encrypted.
VAPT, done properly
We scope the tests, bring in independent testers for your loan app, portal and network, and stay until every finding is fixed and retested.
Data leak and fraud monitoring
Ongoing watch for leaked staff passwords, exposed customer data, lookalike domains and fake apps or pages using your brand, with takedown support.
DPDP Act readiness
Data map, consent and notices, retention and deletion rules, vendor clauses and a 72-hour breach playbook, ready before the main obligations apply.
LOS, LMS and vendor oversight
Independent review of your loan origination and management systems, cloud and IT vendors: data ownership, access, exit clauses and what you are really paying for.
AI with guardrails
Where AI genuinely helps an NBFC, such as document reading, collections prioritisation and service, and the data, consent and model risk rules that keep it safe.
RBI and DPDP
What regulators expect, by layer.
The rules are not the same for every NBFC. Here is a plain summary of what usually applies, so you know where you stand before the inspection or the breach.
Smaller NBFCs
RBI IT framework for NBFCs, 2017 (basic section)
- Board-approved IT policy
- Basic security: access control, passwords, anti-malware, firewalls
- Regular data backups and a business continuity plan
- RBI expects this to grow as you move up a layer
Growing NBFCs
RBI IT governance, risk, controls and assurance directions, in force since 1 April 2024
- Board-level IT Strategy Committee and a CISO
- DR drills for critical systems at least every six months
- Vulnerability scans every six months, penetration tests yearly for critical and internet-facing systems
- Backups restored periodically to prove they work, plus a risk-based IS audit
Applies to all
DPDP Act and Rules 2025, CERT-In directions, RBI outsourcing and digital lending rules
- Report cyber incidents to CERT-In within 6 hours
- Consent, notices, retention and deletion for borrower data
- Personal data breaches reported to the Data Protection Board within 72 hours
- Oversight of IT vendors, lending apps and service providers you rely on
197days left
The main DPDP Act obligations apply from 13 May 2027. Failing to protect personal data can attract penalties of up to ₹250 crore. Data mapping, consent, vendor contracts and a breach playbook take months, so starting now is the cheap option.
This is a summary to help you plan, not legal advice. We confirm what applies to your NBFC from the current RBI directions for your layer.
How it works
Start free. Go deeper only if it helps.
No long contract to begin. The first step costs nothing and needs no access to your systems.
Week 1 · Free
DR and tech health check
An outside-in snapshot plus a 30-minute DR walkthrough. No access needed.
- How a DR switch works today, and where it breaks
- Exposed services and admin panels
- Staff passwords in breach dumps
- Lookalike domains and fake apps
2 to 4 weeks · Fixed fee
Readiness assessment
An inside review against what applies to your layer, under NDA.
- Primary vs DR drift scan
- RBI IT and DPDP gap report
- Live backup restore test
- LOS, LMS and vendor review
- Board-ready plan, prioritised by risk
Ongoing · Monthly
Virtual CTO and CISO
We own the fixes and keep you inspection-ready.
- Switchover automated and rehearsed
- Fixes tracked to closure
- VAPT coordinated
- Leak and fake app monitoring
- Quarterly board or committee reporting
Why independent
Like a CA, for your technology.
Your auditor does not sell you accounting software. We work the same way: we are paid only for advice and oversight, so our only interest is your NBFC being safe, compliant and efficient.
- No software, no dev hours, no commissionsNothing to upsell, so recommendations stay honest.
- We check the evidence ourselvesWe read the configuration, the bill and the contract, not just the vendor's slide deck.
- Beyond tech when you need itOpen business advisory for promoters on process, growth and partnerships.
FAQ
Questions NBFC promoters ask us.
How do you bring DR switchover from weeks down to minutes?
By removing the reasons it takes weeks. We first scan the primary and DR sites for drift: application versions, database replication, server and OS configuration, certificates, DNS and secrets. Then we keep them identical with one release process for both sites, replication monitoring, certificate auto-renewal and configuration kept as code. Finally we script and rehearse the switchover and the switchback, so moving to DR becomes a tested routine measured in minutes.
Do the RBI IT governance directions apply to my NBFC?
It depends on your layer under Scale Based Regulation. NBFCs in the Middle, Upper and Top layers follow RBI's 2023 IT governance, risk, controls and assurance directions, in force since 1 April 2024. Base Layer NBFCs continue to follow the basic section of RBI's 2017 IT framework for NBFCs. Every NBFC also has CERT-In reporting duties and, from May 2027, the main DPDP Act obligations. We confirm exactly what applies to you in the first call.
Do you do the IS audit or penetration test yourselves?
No, and that is deliberate. We prepare you, scope the work, bring in independent qualified auditors and testers, and then own the fixes until they are closed. Keeping the auditor separate from the people fixing things is what makes the audit credible to your board and to RBI.
Will you replace our loan software or IT vendor?
No. Tech Buddy sells no software, no development hours and takes no vendor commissions. We review your existing vendors on your behalf, fix what is broken in the relationship and only recommend a change when the evidence says so.
What is in the free DR and tech health check?
Two parts, neither needs access to your systems. An outside-in snapshot of exposed services and admin panels, email spoofing protection, staff passwords found in public breach dumps, lookalike domains and fake apps using your name. And a 30-minute DR walkthrough with your IT team or vendor, where we map how a switch to your DR site works today and where it is likely to break. You get a short written summary of both.
How do you handle our confidential data?
We sign an NDA before any internal review, work with least-privilege, time-bound access that you grant and revoke, and never copy borrower data out of your systems. Findings are shared only with the people you name.
What does it cost?
The DR and tech health check is free. Readiness assessments are fixed-fee and scoped to your size and layer. Ongoing virtual CTO and CISO support is a monthly retainer. See Tech Buddy plans or ask for a quote.
Free DR and tech health check
Find out if your DR site would really work.
Send us your NBFC's name and website. We run an outside-in snapshot and a 30-minute DR walkthrough with your IT team or vendor, then send a short written summary within 5 working days. No access, no obligation.
WhatsApp +91 94090 86409
Email tech@nxtbyte.io
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