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Issue 02 · Autumn 2026

Deadlines.

11 pieces·77 minutes reading time·August to November 2026
Cover of issue 02 as a banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a tear-off calendar on the right with the number 31 in gold on its top sheet, a torn-off blank sheet lying on the left. The caption is in German.
The last sheet on the pad: two deadlines in this issue end on 31 December 2026Illustration: Bracharz Consulting
Calendar sheetAll dates come from the pieces in this issue, where the sources are listed.

  1. NISG 2026 applies. Applications for digi4wirtschaft are open.

    NISG 2026 ↗digi4wirtschaft ↗

  2. The Council sets its mandate on the Digital Omnibus. Parliament has no position yet.

    Digital Omnibus ↗

  3. Registration under NISG 2026 according to the federal office's FAQ. digi4wirtschaft ends on this day at the latest.

    NISG 2026 ↗digi4wirtschaft ↗

  4. Self-declaration under NISG 2026.

    NISG 2026 ↗

  5. The earliest date on which the authority can request proof.

    NISG 2026 ↗
Editorial

Two deadlines in this issue end on the same day, 31 December 2026.

The first concerns NISG 2026, Austria's new cybersecurity act. It has applied since 1 October, and companies in scope register by the end of the year through the business service portal. Each company checks for itself whether it is in scope, the authority does not classify it. The piece on this is the longest in the issue.

The second is digi4wirtschaft. The Province of Lower Austria funds data projects with 20 per cent of the costs, up to €25,000, and accepts applications until the budget runs out, 31 December at the latest.

The third matter has no date yet. The Council set its mandate on the Digital Omnibus on 21 October, Parliament has no position yet. For cookie banners on your website nothing changes for now.

The other eight pieces carry no deadline. Two show how to check whether AI assistants name your company. Four help with choosing consultants and agencies. Two describe projects of my own, an iPhone app for a niche and a birdsong album built with an AI agent.

Rainer Bracharz, halftone portrait from the illustration series Rainer Bracharz
November 2026

01Deadlines

Three pieces with a date. Two deadlines end on 31 December 2026, the third matter is still being negotiated.

Illustration in the style of a banknote engraving: a large padlock of fine light and dark lines stands on the right and is cut off by the lower edge. To its left lies a single gold key, its bit pointing towards the lock. The dark ground carries a pattern of rosettes. A label with two typewriter lines at bottom left. The caption is in German.
Data protection & compliance·October 2026·7 min.

NISG 2026: is my company covered, and what is due by when?

How to check yourself whether Austria's NISG 2026 applies to your business: sector, size and classification as a clickable flow, plus every deadline with its section.
Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a large clipboard stands to the right and runs off the bottom edge. It holds a blank sheet without any writing, the clip at the top is engraved in gold. The caption is in German.
Digitalisation & funding·November 2026·8 min.

digi4wirtschaft 2026: which data projects the jury funds

Digitalisation funding in Lower Austria: which data projects digi4wirtschaft funds, why applications fail and how to prepare the project description.
Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a scalloped cookie cutter as a pale ring with the ground showing through, the cut-out piece in gold at its centre. The caption is in German.
Data protection & compliance·November 2026·6 min.

Digital Omnibus: What the Council Would Change on Cookie Banners

The Council keeps the cookie rules in the ePrivacy Directive and deletes browser signals. How that compares with the Commission proposal and what SMEs should do.

02Being found

Two pieces on whether AI assistants name your company, and how to check that yourself.

Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a large round sieve seen from directly above, its handle running off the top right of the frame. The base is densely perforated and exactly one hole is closed with a gold disc. The caption is in German.
Performance Sales & GEO·September 2026·7 min.

GEO consultants in Austria: services and how to choose

Which types of provider exist, what belongs in a GEO audit, how to recognise sound AI monitoring and which regional signals decide whether you get named.
Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a large abacus seen straight from above and cropped at the right edge. Round beads sit on six horizontal rods, pushed into groups to the left and right. Exactly one bead is engraved in gold and stands alone in the middle of its rod. The caption is in German.
Performance Sales & GEO·September 2026·7 min.

Testing your AI visibility yourself: the six-question protocol

Which six questions show whether ChatGPT knows and recommends your company, which conditions keep the measurement neutral and how to track AI mentions over months.

03Whom to bring in

Four pieces on choosing consultants and agencies, with services, costs and criteria.

Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a very large, wide open folding ruler, cropped by the right and bottom edge of the frame. Exactly one segment is engraved in gold. The caption is in German.
Digitalisation & funding·August 2026·9 min.

Digitalisation consulting for SMEs: process, cost, choice

What a digitalisation consultation delivers, how it runs, what it costs and whether funding is still available now that KMU.DIGITAL is ending. As at October 2026.
Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: fourteen closed envelopes lie back side up, in three rows of five. The fifteenth is engraved in gold, its flap stands open and a blank pale sheet of letter paper sticks out. The caption is in German.
Performance Sales B2B·September 2026·7 min.

B2B PR and communications agency: services, costs, choosing one

Which services a B2B PR agency provides, which fee models are common, when paid trade articles have to be labelled and how to recognise the right agency.
Cut-paper collage: a large, very dark sheet with punched holes, bounded on the right by a hand-torn edge. Five narrow paper strips run right across the pale ground; four grey ones end frayed in the open, the golden one alone carries on and through a hole in a small sand-coloured square. The caption is in German.
Performance Sales B2B·August 2026·7 min

Marketing for telecoms providers: agency, pricing, leads

What a marketing agency for telecoms providers has to deliver: positioning, pricing consulting, lead generation, migration. With five questions for choosing one.
Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a large referee whistle seen from the side, shifted up from the centre, its mouthpiece running off the right edge. The sound window is cut out, the ring on the whistle is engraved in gold. The caption is in German.
Sports Betting & iGaming·November 2026·6 min

iGaming consulting: what a sportsbook launch consultant takes on

What a consultant takes on when a betting or gaming brand launches, from market analysis to activation, and what stays with the operator: licence, legal review, running the platform.

04Built in-house

Two projects of my own with effort and result, an iPhone app and a family album built with an AI agent.

Banknote engraving on a dark rosette ground: a large filmstrip runs slightly tilted across the frame and is cropped left and right. One window is missing its frame; the frame lies below the strip, engraved in gold. The caption is in German.
Product & Marketing·September 2026·6 min.

Your own iPhone app for a niche: what it costs, what it returns

Which fees are actually fixed, how fast App Store review runs, what EU trader status means for a one-person business and when a niche app pays off.
AI & Digitalisation·October 2026·7 min.

A bird song album built with an AI agent: what a family project teaches about AI in business

A garden station, an app and an e-ink display for my son, built with an AI agent, and what follows from it for AI in business.
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