Sometimes failures to comply with rules and guidelines are not malicious. Instead, they are honest mistakes. Where humans are involved, it is essential to account for errors, recognize the risks, and take meaningful steps toward mitigating them.
It’s not solely a one-off event. Non-compliance can lead to hefty fines, barriers to market, limitations of activities, prison time, data loss, expensive legal fees, and lost customer trust.
Avoiding compliance risks should be a top priority — here are some tips to get you started.
🔬 Education
Training and education are two of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal to fight compliance risk. If employees understand their responsibilities and the consequences of failing to meet these responsibilities, they are more likely to take the correct course of action. Invest in ongoing training.
🧩 Encryption
If possible, enforce the encryption of data. Encrypted data cannot be access by authorized users without the correct encryption key. In the event of a breach, encrypted information is not readable by the attacker.
You can also prohibit access to certain data on devices that can’t garner a secure connection. Things like public hot spots and other unsecured networks can make data vulnerable to theft.
⛅ Go for cloud storage
Modern-day cloud storage solutions are more secure than conventional inhouse servers. Ideally, your business would use both.
Cloud storage providers run data centers that are highly secure — think 24/7 security and biometrics. Not only that, they are geographically distinct from your head office, meaning if your building burns to the ground or suffers an extended power outage, your data is safe and sound.
🏡 Do not forget remote employees
It’s not just the home office that must maintain compliance. Your remote employees are subject, too. For some businesses, that means equipping remote workers with laptops, phones, and other necessary devices with built-in security policies and other protective mechanisms (for example, the capability to be wiped remotely).
Keeping tabs on remote team members is even more critical in light of recent events. More and more of us are working from home, using our own devices connected to our own networks to access company data.
🛑 Block unauthorized applications
Authorization mechanisms can help minimize compliance risk by preventing employees from downloading unsecure applications. These applications might not meet the minimum security standards, so they are not a viable option for your business.
With the right protections in place, only approved software can
be downloaded.
✅ Find a trusted partner
There is no way to eliminate compliance risk entirely. The right partner will understand how cybersecurity, human factors, and compliance interact, and build a custom roadmap to help you stay on top of the threat environment.
