Compliance: A Top Priority, No Matter What Industry In Which You Operate
Compliance remains a key consideration for organizations as the professional world becomes increasingly technology-focused. Regardless of whether you are subject to HIPAA, NIST or another compliance system, compliance management can be an important way to protect your technology investment.
The margin for error in business is razor-thin when it comes to compliance and data security. Especially in light of the many compliance systems — FINRA, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, NIST and more — it is more important than ever that you confidently manage your compliance practices.
The fact is that as technology changes, so do the industry and the regulations that govern it. Whether you have to stay compliant with PCI, HIPAA, or another set of strict regulations, you need the right technology and support to keep up with changing regulations.
What Should Your Compliance Process Look Like?
No matter what regulations you are subject to, you need to have a strategy in place. Have you taken care of the following five steps?
- Develop A Plan: Every compliance system in existence right now is complicated, to say the least — make sure you take the time to understand the big picture, and develop a plan to dictate your approach according to your specific needs.
- Give The Proper Responsibilities To The Proper Individuals: Do not put this all on one person. You will need to appoint a privacy and security officer, and also need to have members of your team handling compliance documentation. Individuals with good organizational and writing skills are needed in this position, given that documenting your actions is a huge part of compliance.
- Make Sure Your Staff Contributes To Compliance: An effective compliance plan has to teach your staff how to handle a range of potential situations:
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- How to participate in compliance best practices
- How to identify and address suspicious emails, phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and more.
- How to use business technology without exposing sensitive data and other assets to external threats by accident.
- How to address issues when you suspect that your organization is noncompliant.
- Plan Ahead For Future Audits and Reviews: You need to regularly revisit your compliance policies and procedures in order to make sure they are in line with changes to regulations, and changes within your organization. The more meticulous and systematic your documentation is, the easier it will be to go back and make periodic reviews or make adjustments in the future.
- Don’t Assume You Are Invulnerable: You will never be so compliant and so secure that you are risk-free. This entire process is about minimizing, not eliminating risk. That is why you need a plan in place for when you suspect you have experienced a breach or become noncompliant. Have contingencies in place for the worst-case scenarios, so that you are never caught off guard.
The OSG Approach To Compliance Management
If you need help managing your compliance, then get in touch with the Outsource IT Solutions Group team. We follow a well-practiced 3-step methodology for supporting our clients’ compliance efforts:
- Compliance Assessment & Strategy: Our compliance services begin with a comprehensive assessment of your IT systems, the findings of which are compared with compliance cybersecurity controls. Our team will then develop a strategy to mitigate any risks of noncompliance, providing detailed documentation allowing you to demonstrate your commitment to compliance.
- Remediation: Once the assessment is complete and the strategy has been developed, our team gets to work implementing any necessary changes in order to bring you to a state of confident compliance. No matter what aspect of your cybersecurity is lacking, we will match it with a tested and proven solution to make sure it does not put you at risk any longer.
- Compliance Management: Compliance is not a one-time effort. Ongoing compliance requires ongoing management, monitoring your systems for any potential cybersecurity instances, and reporting to the appropriate parties. As your IT systems age, and compliance requirements are updated, our team will make sure you stay compliant, applying necessary changes as needed.
OSG Will Manage Your Compliance For You
You should not cut corners when it comes to your compliance, and you also should not assume you have to handle it all by yourself either.
Offloading your compliance-based stress is easy:
- Contact the OSG team and schedule a compliance assessment at a time that works for you.
- Let us examine your current state of compliance, and explain how we can improve it.
- Sit back and let us manage your compliance from here on out.
