Security and compliance have become inextricably intertwined in this time of tightening regulations and intensifying threats. The increasingly demanding threat and regulatory landscapes require a holistic approach that promotes business resilience.
Companies can no longer afford to rely on security and data protection strategies that are pieced together from disparate tools. Instead, organizations need to develop unified and comprehensive strategies that align security policies and tools with compliance regulations.
The Relationship Between Security and Compliance
Compliance and security both work to defend against cyber threats by protecting data, networks, and endpoints. However, security tools and services don’t necessarily ensure that your company meets compliance requirements, nor does achieving compliance mean your organization is fully secure.
Being compliant means following regulations, often industry-specific, for security. Frequently, compliance regulations control the access of data and require that organizations go through auditing processes. Non-compliance can result in hefty fines.
Security focuses on detecting, identifying, and preventing or responding to cyberattacks and data breaches. While compliance is concerned with meeting regulations, security emphasizes the protection of company assets, such as infrastructure, data, applications, and networks.
Not all companies have the internal resources needed to enforce compliance, so efforts to meet compliance may take attention away from security efforts.
The Evolving Security and Compliance Landscape
Numerous broad and industry-specific compliance regulations govern security and privacy for organizations. Some of the most well-known broadly applicable compliance regulations include the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), and the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA). Industry-specific regulations include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA).
However, new compliance regulations continue to emerge as existing ones become stricter. Changes to compliance regulations not only affect target industries but also any companies that work with organizations in the industry. For example, the Federal government recently issued a Zero Trust security mandate for the end of Fiscal Year 2024. Any companies that work with government agencies will need to meet these requirements to keep their contracts. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) affects both international companies and organizations in the U.S. that work with them.
The cybersecurity landscape is also continuing to evolve, straining the resources of companies. Ransomware continues to present a major threat, and cybercriminals are changing their attack vectors to include containers. Privacy violations, data breaches, and business email compromise also make up a significant part of the risk landscape.
Generative AI has emerged as a new threat because of its ability to produce more convincing phishing emails, as well as its role in enabling novices to create malware code. Hackers can also turn AI-powered security tools against companies.
With the increased pressure to meet security and compliance regulations, ensuring that security measures do double duty for compliance makes sense.
How to Take a Holistic Approach to Security and Compliance
While security and compliance have different sets of requirements, companies can find ways to satisfy them both. Compliance regulations require that organizations keep records for auditing purposes. For example, records may be kept of attempts to access customer or patient data. Developing a security strategy that focuses on increasing visibility and reporting helps with compliance while also strengthening overall security.
Companies can take a holistic approach to security and compliance by setting identity and access management policies that follow compliance regulations and standardize access controls across the business. Security operations should provide 24/7 monitoring from the data center to the edge of the network. Security operations center (SOC) capabilities should include incident reporting that enforces compliance audit requirements.
Business Resilience in Action
PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Crisis and Resilience Survey 2023 found that 89% of business leaders see resilience as a strategic priority. Business resilience is the ability of a company to bounce back after an interruption to maintain business continuity. While business resilience is often associated with data protection efforts, such as backup and disaster recovery, security and compliance measures can also support resilience.
Taking a holistic approach to security and compliance means anticipating threats through risk assessments and then gaining visibility into the entire system to prevent threats. By monitoring the network and setting uniform standards for access that follow compliance regulations, companies take a proactive approach to protecting data.
At ProActive Solutions, we focus on the relationship between security and compliance when helping companies develop comprehensive cybersecurity strategies. Our Security and Compliance solutions and services include Security Operations, Identity and Access Management, Threat Prevention and Management, as well as assessments to uncover any gaps in your approach to security.
Experience our individualized approach to security firsthand. Ask for a security and compliance consultation from ProActive.
