Security vs. Compliance

We are all familiar with what it means to be secure - protecting people, organizations, and information against danger or loss. However, more often than not, business owners focus their concerns on compliance with industry and governmental regulations, assuming this will make them secure. They are typically interested in passing audits and assessments; yet assessments, audits, and regulations are not security - they are merely measurements, guidelines and standards that a particular group is concerned with.

Being “security centric” means that the organization is interested in its own security - continually identifying the threats and vulnerabilities that could potentially impact the organization. By approaching things from this perspective and implementing security best practices, the organization can become compliant with the regulations and standards they are looking to follow. 

Security isn’t just an IT Function

As would be expected, business owners are concerned with what their competition is doing and how they can stay ahead to keep the competitive edge. Security breaches like we are seeing today, place entire organizations directly at risk, thus stressing the importance of being equally concerned with information security as much as market security—it isn’t just an IT function anymore.  Security is more than just loading anti-virus software and installing a firewall, true security involves looking at the entire picture and understanding how policies and procedures, new software installations and systems can impact the safety of the data flowing through your organization.

Developing Security Best Practices

Outlining clear security practices in an Information Security Policy (ISP) is the first step in protecting your business.  An ISP, a compliance tool used for protecting and handling data, defines procedures and guidelines for your organization.

The Cost of a Security Breach

Considering the average cost for a data breach is $6.75 million, it is easy to see how many organizations never fully recover. Plus, 91 percent of customers admit that they would not return to a previous business if their information was stolen. Could you image what that would do for your brand image and reputation?

In today’s business environment there is a clear correlation between compliance, security and the success of your organization. For more information on how to protect your business and become compliant, contact us.