Information Security Compliances

Complex digital security compliances and regulations apply to modern businesses. Breaching those regulations can result in severe penalties such as fines, reputational harm, and financial losses.

It is difficult to determine which rules and regulations apply to a company. Organizations frequently must comply with multiple frameworks and regulations, many of which have overlapping characteristics.

In this article, we will attempt to demystify common cybersecurity frameworks and regulatory requirements in order to assist organizations in initiating discussions about achieving compliance.

What exactly is IT Security Compliance?

IT or security compliance is the activity that a company or organization engages in to demonstrate or prove, typically through an audit, that they meet the security requirements or objectives that an external party has identified or established. This list of security requirements could be as simple as a list of security objectives that a customer or business partner believes are critical or relevant to the existing or proposed business relationship. It could also represent a much more complex and lengthy list of controls and objectives (i.e. security framework) established by external professional organizations, industries, or government agencies.

Compliance with a recognized security report or certification relieves the service organisation of the burden of having to open its doors to multiple auditors from various user organisations who may want to validate the service organization’s security operations. It can also streamline a user organization’s vendor management process by allowing them to rely on the work of an independent auditor rather than building out or expanding their own technical audit team.

The major security compliances

Compliances	What it governs	Organizations Affected
GDPR (General Data Protection Act)	This governs the data protection and privacy of European Union citizens.	Any company doing business in the European Union or handling the data of a European Union citizen.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) / HITECH Omnibus Rule	This act is divided into two parts. Title I protects people’s healthcare when they change jobs or are laid off. Title II is intended to streamline the healthcare process by utilizing electronic data. It also protects individual patients’ privacy. This was expanded further by the HITECH / Omnibus Rule.	Any organization that works with healthcare data. Doctor’s offices, hospitals, insurance companies, business associates, and employers are examples of such entities.
ISO 27000 Family (International Organization for Standardization)	This standard family specifies security requirements for the upkeep of information security management systems (ISMS) through the implementation of security controls.	These rules are broad and can apply to a wide range of businesses. This set of regulations can be used by any company to assess its cybersecurity practices.
PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)	The PCI DSS’s mission is to improve global payment account data security by developing standards and providing support services that promote education, awareness, and effective implementation among stakeholders. A set of 12 rules aimed at reducing fraud and protecting the customer card information.	Companies that handle, process, and store payment card data.
CIS Controls (Center for Internet Security Controls)	Safeguard your organization’s assets and data against known cyber attack vectors.	Companies that want to improve the security of their digital assets