How to setup your tech in a world of cyber security and compliance
When selecting a technology partner, there are a number of factors to consider. For many clients, security and compliance is at the top of their list, with a variety of complex data and security specifications to adhere to.
This is often the case for government projects that call for data to be housed under specific conditions. Here are some of the things to take into consideration when you’re looking for a Managed Services partner who can meet very strict compliance and security requirements.
Involve your security team early
Engage with your security team or designated security specialist at the very beginning of the process. The right partner can help map out the security and regulatory guidelines, working alongside you to identify requirements and potential hurdles. But the best way to prepare for a smooth transition is to involve the security team right from the start.
- Technology decisions – You may need to add additional security, or bolster protection of particular data. Your security team and technology partner can work together to find the right solution.
- Secure access – To ensure the right team members have access to the right data, you can begin to map out the important data access for the business.
- Key regulations – There are often particular regulations that businesses must adhere to within their industry, particularly if your organisation falls within the federal government’s recently expanded definitions of ‘critical infrastructure’. The security team needs to add these into the plan early to ensure regulations are upheld.
Consult across the organisation to develop guidelines
Remember that some obligations will relate to data usage, privacy and compliance. You want to be sure to involve all the right experts from across the organization in your procedure.
For example, this can include finance, legal, marketing, IT teams and other relevant subject matter experts.
Follow best practice
With Salesforce, security is built into the platform from the ground up. Their teams share best practice to ensure the technology is secure.
These are some of the basics to secure your data:
- Setup single sign-on – One of the quickest ways to secure your technology is at the login page. To ensure that logins are secured. As a result, the team at Salesforce have implemented multi-factor authentication across the board.
- Security health check – Identify any vulnerabilities on your system by running health checks as often as you need.
- Schedule regular audits – Stay across the potential and real issues with frequent deep dive audits on your system.
Get clear on the parameters
When it comes to data security, there are various levels of reporting that can be setup from basic tracking to compliance guidelines and full security inventory.
As a guideline, the SOX Compliance model in the US offers a gold standard on security reporting for businesses. This framework is an annual audit of a public company to provide proof of accurate, data-secured financial reporting.
We recently went through an intensive security evaluation with a national client that followed the SOX Compliance model. Although we are not bound by this regulation in Australia, it is used for security reporting purposes and many clients follow the framework with their data.
These standards aim to:
- Keep data secure and and free of tampering
- Track attempted security breaches and resolutions
- Keep event logs available for independent audits
- Prove compliance for the past 90 days
Decide how to Managed Services can boost your security
Be sure to connect your security team with your technology partner so that they can fast track the security parameters.
For example, to adhere to the guidelines for your business, this may require Managed Services teams to be located on-site or off-site with particular access. These can be factored into the planning at the early stages of the project.
Looking for a partner who can meet rigorous or complex regulatory requirements?
It takes a village to protect your data. So be sure to involve the right people in your planning to ensure your data is secure, your customer data is protected and your business works within the regulations for your industry.
Simplus Managed Services have a wealth of experience in working with organisations to meet a variety of requirements and security standards. As an extended part of your team, our specialists can help to map out the guidelines, regularly test to ensure you are compliant and keep your data secure.
