Compliance Monitoring

Some companies are able to operate fully under their own purview without significant rules or laws overseeing the course of business. Others, however, are not. Due to the nature of regulations in the law, medicine, finance, and customer service spaces, there are many policies that can govern how a company does business.

In the cybersecurity space, protection is a main component of security services. However, an effective approach to cybersecurity also includes evaluating how data usage adheres to both federal and international regulations. Without the proper strategies in place, it’s possible for data breaches to both threaten your business and put you in trouble with various industry authorities.

What Is Compliance Monitoring?

Compliance monitoring refers to a plan or process that continuously reviews compliance measures to ensure business activities consistently meet regulatory guidelines.

As in-house practices shift and change, so do the ways in which data is secured. Sometimes, shifts in security, software, or even hardware used can lead to a compromised environment, putting information previously properly secured at risk. Compliance monitoring services can ensure everything from security practices to data transmission sticks to the letter of the law, preventing costly fines from holding your business back.

At Shock I.T. Support, we can cover all of your bases, consistently monitoring the state of your IT infrastructure to make sure it aligns with any guidelines that are required in your industry. This includes:

• Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS): PCI DDS offers international guidelines on the security and management of credit card transactions. Fines for non-compliance can be as high as $500,000 should a breach occur.
• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX): SOX is a U.S. law that applies to the management of financial institutions for banks, investment firms, and publicly traded organizations. While this primarily affects how financial data is used, there is a cybersecurity component by which applicable companies must abide.
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA): HIPAA is a U.S.-based law that governs the protection of patient medical records. Hospitals and other healthcare practices must take proper cybersecurity measures to prevent potential breaches of confidential patient records.
• General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): GDPR is a European policy that requires strict measures to keep personal identifying information private. While not relevant to companies operating solely within the U.S., any business collecting information from consumers in Europe must meet GDPR standards.

Many smaller, more specific regulatory bodies exist in countless industries, each with its own rules regarding protecting privacy. When security infrastructure isn’t up to the task of meeting each applicable requirement, fines and the loss of reputation can be the consequence – consequences that can be costly for most small businesses

Cybersecurity Auditing

A large part of the compliance monitoring process involves regular cybersecurity audits. Cybersecurity audits are intended to confirm compliance where relevant as well as to assess the use of overall security best practices.

This includes:

• Risk management, or how well your company manages vulnerabilities and areas of potential risk within your cybersecurity measures
• Configuration management, or the monitoring and management of any changes made to your cybersecurity environment
• Security and privacy training, making sure all team members, including those not working directly in an IT function, understand the measures in place and how to make the most of them

Security audits can be ongoing, periodic, or a one-time event depending on your business and its unique needs.

The Right Fit for You

New to the world of business regulations? Not sure which policies may apply to you? That’s okay. We understand that the purpose of a cybersecurity audit can vary from one company to another, and that the industry policies that govern one corner of the marketplace won’t apply in other areas.

Our compliance monitoring solutions are intended to be customizable and comprehensive, keeping you in line with the law, no matter the industry in which you operate. The compliance experts at Shock I.T. Support can identify the rules that are applicable to your company, help you create an effective IT infrastructure, and offer ongoing monitoring services to make sure you’re always covered. Whether you simply want to verify what you have in place is working or you want advice on creating a secure and compliant system from the ground up, we’re always here for you.

Contact Shock I.T. Support today to get compliance monitoring services for your New Jersey or Philadelphia small business and see how we can make a difference for you.