For some businesses, the line between compliance and security becomes easily obscured and may seem like a moving target. How do we create extensive security programs while meeting compliance obligations? This week’s newsletter will go over the differences between security and compliance, as well as offer examples of ways you and your business can help with staying up to date.
IT Compliance
While compliance and security can be very similar in that they follow along the same principles, the motive behind compliance can be different. Having IT compliance in your business keeps you up to date with following procedures and meeting standards.
For example, regulations such as HIPAA and SOX, outline very specific security criteria that a business must meet in order to stay compliant. A lack of compliance will result in a loss of customer trust, or at worst make it outright illegal to conduct business in your market.
IT Security
IT security can be a much easier topic to go over, as it is simply the practice of exercising care and diligence to protect sensitive information. Effective security reduces the risks of attacks, and protects organizations as well as individuals from unauthorized exploitation of attacks.
Threats such as social engineering, and backdoor vulnerabilities require security professionals to be much more conscientious, as well as proactive in their approach to dealing with different attacks. The concept of security comes down to employing measures to have the best protection for your assets.
Why are both necessary?
To extend on what has already been discussed, security is the practice of executing effective controls to protect assets, and compliance is the practice to help meet standards of a third parties requirements.
Anyone can see that both go hand in hand, and help compliment one another in certain areas where others fall short. With equal focus on both, a business will be empowered to not only meet standards for its market, but also go above and beyond its commitment to security.