Staying secure and compliant in today's evolving cybersecurity environment

When it comes to the ever-evolving cybersecurity environment and data compliance, it often takes a village to achieve both. Through a combination of government regulations and internal policies and best practices, there’s a lot that goes into maintaining and managing security information systems that protect an organization's lifeline -- data. Effective data management and security practices are a journey, not a destination, so while initiatives like data discovery have become routine practice, it’s critical to think about the long term when it comes to the evolving threat landscape and what organizations should be prepared to defend against.  

Automating compliance and security tools 

Unfortunately, security systems can be cumbersome and time consuming due to their manual nature, creating a barrier for the often fast-paced work environment of security professionals and IT teams. Therefore, it’s critical that they’re armed with newer, automated tools that bring legacy security solutions up to modern day speed and sophistication. An automated system can execute more menial tasks without human intervention e.g. performing, monitoring and detection, data enrichment, incident response, user permissions, and business continuity. Therefore, automation will save teams both time and company resources so employees can focus on more  strategic ways to approach security or other value-add projects.

Data protection laws continue to change and become more complex 

With the successful vote on proposition 24 this past November, California residents demonstrated that they wanted additional protections for their personal data. Their voices established the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the second generation of California’s far-reaching California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Although the law is not expected to be applied until January 2023, now is a great time to be proactive in meeting guidelines so your organization doesn’t have to scramble later. Additionally, US-based companies can forecast PCI DSS 4.0 to come into full effect by the end of this year. This law applies to any organization, regardless of size, if they accept, transmit, or store payment card data-- talk about far reaching.

There are a number of additional compliance laws emerging beyond the US as well. One that should be top of mind for business leaders is Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), which was delayed until May 2021 as a result of COVID-19. The surfacing of the PDPA is a clear indicator that it no longer matters where an organization's headquarters and stores are located, but where its customers are. With the emergence of ecommerce and globalizing market, it’s pretty safe to say that many businesses are conducting research all over the world.

Planning your compliance journey

Security orchestration is the next logical step in building out a compliant, sustainable security plan. A method for connecting security tools and integrating disparate security systems, security orchestration can streamline security processes. While security automation tools can save time, they need to be interconnected to be effective in the long run. Orchestration helps establish more encompassing processes and workflows that get the entire business involved, not just the security team. Once all employees are responsible for the organization’s security, they will become more aware of personal data and how imperative it is to protect it.

By automating and planning your data discovery route, Ground Labs can help you be at the forefront of CPRA, PCI DSS and PDPA compliance, among many others. Proactivity can serve your business by saving time, money and customer trust. 

To begin your journey towards data discovery and compliance, down our free ebook and schedule a meeting with an expert here.