Common Compliance Issues within the Work Environment
Information security is on every business’s radar these days. Data drives so much of what we do. Looking to hold down the risks, many sectors have proven IT compliance regulations. Whether meeting a standard or not, do not overlook these shared areas of concern.
Government and regulatory agencies continuously publish compliance standards and recommendations. The standards are particularly strict for the financial, legal, healthcare, and energy sectors. Other organizations abide by best practices for data protection and improving system security. Whether mandated or not, the goals are still similar:
< Improve security protocols.
< Find vulnerabilities.
< Prevent breaches.
< Reduce losses.
< Increase access control.
< Educate employees.
< Maintain customer trust.
Shortcomings can mean compliance concerns, industry fines, customer churn, and brand reputation damage. Being proactive can help companies in any industry sector.
Common Issues that Thwart Compliance
Companies with Bring Your Own Device policies save $350 per employee per year. Cost savings are not the only reason organizations are embracing BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). Letting people use personal mobile devices at work improves productivity and engages employees.
Yet allowing BYOD in the work environment can make the organization more vulnerable. There is greater risk of:
< spread of malicious applications or viruses.
< employees accessing business materials using unsecured Wi-Fi.
< people who have left the company continuing to have access to proprietary systems.
None of these are good from a compliance point of view. Personal portable devices may not have the same access controls as business computers. This makes them more vulnerable if lost or stolen.
This brings us to a second common compliance concern: physical security. A business may do a brilliant job of securing its devices on-site. It has firewalls, patches security often, and asks employees to update passwords. What happens if someone steals, or you lose a laptop, mobile phone, or USB drive?
All devices accessing business systems and networks from off-site should use encryption. IT staff can control security configurations. Regardless of the end-user environment with remote monitoring and management. Mobile device management allows your IT team to secure, find, or erase any mobile device.
Counting on Others for Compliance
Another area of concern is third-party connections. You may be top of the class, in the five core functions of cybersecurity. Find, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. What if your vendor's security is not adequate?
Do you have business partners that are storing your sensitive data? Or does a supplier have access to customer or employee information? Third-party risk is the real thing – ask Target. Cybercriminals stole data for 40 million debit and credit cards. All through their HVAC company.
Cybercriminals could use a third party's lax security to target you. Make sure that your vendors take cybersecurity as crucial as you do.
Even in your own business environment, cut the number of people who have access to sensitive data. You have hired people you think you can trust. You can still better ward off the insider cybersecurity threat by:
< educating employees about the importance of strong passwords, securing devices, and physical security.
< informing people about social engineering (e.g., phishing emails or fraudulent business communications).
< limiting personnel access to data, network, or systems based on necessity.
< having a policy to revoke access permissions.
< reclaim devices from any employee leaving the company.
Ensuring compliance takes technological knowledge and awareness of the evolving threat landscape. This vigilance, communication, and education need time and effort. Put the right policies and procedures in place with our help. Contact us today at 877-686-6642.
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