Compliance is a hot topic in IT. Your organization could land in the hot seat and not just pay penalties; you could also lose trust if you fail to meet industry and government regulations.
Yet, many enterprises focus on productivity, business processes efficiency, and marketing aspects of the company, putting the regulatory facet in the backseat. With the objective of providing what they think is the best solution to their teams, many business leaders end up purchasing disparate software solutions without considering the compliance standards.
We have seen countless incidents of security breaches. Many companies put the blame on cloud computing and BYOD as the main culprits for security threats and compliance failures. But we must realize security challenges go beyond these factors.
In today’s dynamic IT environment, how do you ensure that your organization always meets the ever-changing compliance policies?
- Document your compliance policy and IT control architecture.
Building this foundation is a fundamental step to a strict IT compliance. When you have a record of all your corporate IT policies and procedures as well as complete framework all in one place, you’ll be able to thoroughly monitor, manage, and enforce your compliance with all the regulations.
To ensure that the entire environment is protected, the documentation should cover not just the infrastructure but also all the relevant applications. You should not leave any weak points for attackers to break in. In IT compliance, it pays to focus not just on the core systems.
- Create an IT compliance management team.
This is a basic step to achieve regulatory compliance, yet many organizations skip doing this. They let different departments across the company to manage their compliance-related task with no strategic approach and coordination. Establishing a proper compliance management team with a clear mission will result in greater staff accountability and better outcome.
- Always have a full picture of your environment.
Imagine if you are just looking at a snapshot of a configuration prior to an audit. Verifying compliance will then be a daunting task. On the other hand, if you have a complete visibility of your IT environment’s state, you will be in a better position to spot any irregularity. Avoid surprises and make use of system-generated reports.
- Enforce your policies and communicate consistently.
To ensure the success of your compliance programs, you must consistently implement all your established policies and procedures across the entire organization. Both operations and security teams have to coordinate their actions closely.
- Choose a service provider that you can trust.
Cloud computing and the increasing trend in BYOD open the door to more security challenges. They offer many benefits and advantages, but they also bring some risks. To protect your organization, choose a trusted service provider with a strong reputation in the industry.
Embrace IT compliance as part of your business process, not as a fragmented project. This approach will improve your business’ performance and benefit your organization in the long run.
If you want to ensure that your IT infrastructure and systems comply with regulatory and government standards, contact Four Cornerstone now. Our Oracle Consulting in Dallas delivers trustworthy guidance to bring you to a year-round IT compliance.
