eSentire is The Authority in Managed Detection and Response Services, protecting the critical data and applications of 2000+ organizations in 80+ countries from known and unknown cyber threats. Founded in 2001, the company’s mission is to hunt, investigate and stop cyber threats before they become business disrupting events.
We provide sophisticated cybersecurity solutions for Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs), and Value-Added Resellers (VARs). Find out why you should partner with eSentire, the Authority in Managed Detection and Response, today.
IT and Security leaders are increasingly finding themselves under pressure to protect their sensitive data and maintain trust with clients, partners, and regulators. Governing and regulatory bodies are introducing more stringent compliance requirements, which vary based on factors such as your operating region, industry, and the maturity of your organization.
With a clear and comprehensive cybersecurity compliance program, you can avoid significant financial and reputational damage from data breaches and regulatory penalties.
A well-defined cybersecurity compliance program provides a clear framework for identifying vulnerabilities, implementing effective controls, and continuously monitoring your compliance status.
But, how do you begin? There are seven steps to build a cybersecurity compliance program that not only meets regulatory requirements but also strengthens your organization’s cybersecurity resilience:
In this blog, we outline the essential steps to establishing an effective cybersecurity compliance program at your organization, from evaluating your current cybersecurity posture and getting buy-in from senior leadership to ongoing compliance monitoring.
Step 1: Evaluate Your Cybersecurity Posture
The first step in building a cybersecurity compliance program at your organization is to evaluate your current cybersecurity posture. Understanding where your organization currently stands against recognized industry standards is crucial to mapping out a compliance roadmap.
As a result, you can:
Identify Vulnerabilities: Recognize gaps in your existing security measures that could be exploited by threat actors
Benchmark Performance: Compare your security practices with industry standards to understand how your organization measures up
Prioritize Actions: Determine which areas require immediate attention and allocate resources effectively
A widely adopted industry standard to start with is the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF), which provides a structured approach to managing and reducing cybersecurity risk. Developed in 2014, the framework has evolved into a globally recognized set of best practices for cyber risk management.
Initially focused on energy, banking, and healthcare sectors, the NIST framework now provides a flexible blueprint for organizations of all sizes and sectors to manage, reduce, and mitigate their cyber risks.
Conducting a Security Program Maturity Assessment (SPMA) is another effective way to gain insight into your current state of cybersecurity and compliance maturity. This assessment, typically performed by our Virtual CISOs (vCISOs), helps identify strengths and weaknesses in your security practices, policies, and technologies. After conducting a thorough SPMA, you can establish a baseline for your cybersecurity efforts and create a targeted plan for enhancing your security posture.
Step 2: Identify Relevant Compliance Standards
Establishing which compliance standards and regulatory directives your organization must adhere to is a critical step in creating an effective cybersecurity compliance program. Different regions and industries have specific requirements, and it’s essential to understand and comply with these mandates to avoid legal penalties and protect your organization’s reputation.
To determine which standards apply to your business, consider factors such as:
Industry Requirements: Certain industries have specialized compliance requirements. For example, the financial sector may adhere to regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in the United States or the Basel III framework for international banking. Healthcare organizations must comply with standards like HIPAA to protect patient information.
Regional Regulations: Compliance standards can vary significantly by region. Organizations operating in multiple regions may need to comply with a range of mandates. In North America, organizations may prefer to follow the AICPA Trust Criteria, such as SOC2, which focuses on security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. In contrast, many organizations in the European Union follow ISO 27001, which provides a framework for managing information security. Businesses in the European Union must comply with GDPR, while those in the United States might follow standards like CCPA.
Business Activities: The nature of your business activities also influences the compliance standards you must follow. For example, if your organization processes credit card payments, you will need to comply with PCI DSS.
By determining the compliance standards that are relevant to your business and understanding the specific requirements of each, you can embark on developing a cybersecurity compliance program that meets the unique needs of your organization.
Step 3: Assess Organizational Challenges and Obligations
Establishing a cybersecurity compliance program requires a comprehensive understanding of both internal and external obligations. Security leaders play a pivotal role in identifying and assessing the organization’s unique challenges and compliance requirements, which often stem from both client expectations and regulatory mandates.
These obligations may vary significantly depending on the industry, local, state or regional mandates, and the type of data the organization handles, making it essential to conduct a detailed assessment of the specific laws, standards, and contractual requirements that apply.
In many cases, demonstrating compliance requires more than just an internal assessment. Third-party certifications and independent audits can provide an objective validation of your compliance efforts. These audits provide valuable insights into areas of improvement and demonstrate your commitment to maintaining high security standards.
Depending on your industry and regulatory environment, you might need to adhere to frameworks that require certification. For instance, obtaining a SOC2 report or ISO 27001 certification proves that your organization meets specific security standards.
Although the certification process can be resource-intensive, it serves as a critical mechanism for identifying gaps, validating the effectiveness of existing controls, and providing an external seal of credibility in a competitive marketplace.
Step 4: Selecting a Compliance Framework Based on Organizational Needs
Selecting the right cybersecurity compliance framework is a crucial step in building an effective program. The framework you choose should align with your organization’s size, maturity, and specific requirements.
For smaller organizations or those just beginning to develop their cybersecurity capabilities, non-auditable frameworks can offer a structured approach without the complexity and cost of certification processes. These frameworks provide guidelines and best practices that help organizations improve their security posture incrementally. Some benefits include:
Flexibility: Non-auditable frameworks allow organizations to adopt and adapt security practices at their own pace, making it easier to implement changes without the pressure of immediate audits.
Cost-Effectiveness: Avoiding the costs associated with certification and third-party audits can make compliance more accessible for organizations with limited resources.
Scalability: These frameworks provide a foundation that can be built upon as the organization grows and matures, eventually leading to auditable frameworks and certifications.
We recommend selecting the framework that makes the most sense for your business, rather than building a program from scratch. Established frameworks are built on industry best practices and have been tested and refined over time. This means you can rely on a tried-and-true approach to developing your security measures.
Moreover, by following an existing framework, you can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent on developing policies and procedures from the ground up. This allows your organization to focus on implementation and continuous improvement.
Step 5: Get Buy-In from Senior Leadership
Securing buy-in from your senior and executive leadership is essential for the success of your cybersecurity compliance program. Without the support and commitment of top executives, it can be challenging to allocate the necessary resources and drive the organizational changes required to achieve compliance.
Achieving and maintaining compliance requires significant investment in terms of time, money, and personnel. Executive buy-in ensures that the necessary resources are allocated to meet these demands.
When senior leaders are involved, cybersecurity compliance becomes a strategic priority that aligns with the overall business goals and objectives. This alignment also helps integrate compliance efforts into the broader business strategy.
Not only that, leadership endorsement fosters a culture of security across the organization. When executives prioritize cybersecurity, it sets a tone that permeates throughout the entire company, encouraging all employees to take compliance seriously.
Step 6: Create a Compliance Roadmap
A detailed compliance roadmap is essential for guiding your organization through the process of achieving and maintaining compliance. This roadmap should outline all necessary controls, policies, and best practices. It should establish a timeline for fulfilling obligations and identify the internal stakeholders responsible for each stage of compliance.
Start by defining the specific controls, policies, and best practices your organization needs to implement to meet your chosen compliance standards.
These should cover access controls, policies for data encryption, backup, and secure handling, procedures for identifying, responding to, and recovering from security incidents, as well as training and awareness programs.
A well-defined timeline will keep your compliance efforts on track. Your timeline should include milestones, such as policy development, control implementation, and internal audits, deadlines, and periodic reviews to assess progress and make necessary adjustments.
Lastly, identifying internal stakeholders who will take ownership of each stage of the roadmap is equally important. These stakeholders should include IT and Security teams, Legal and Compliance teams, and other department leaders to ensure team members across the entire organization are engaged.
Step 7: Conduct Annual Assessments
When it comes to cybersecurity compliance, conducting annual assessments ensures ongoing adherence to regulatory requirements as well as the continuous improvement of your security posture.
Plus, cybersecurity regulatory requirements are constantly evolving to address emerging threats and technological advancements. Annual assessments ensure that your organization stays informed and adapts to these changes effectively.
In addition to monitoring your compliance status, regular assessments serve several critical purposes including identifying any gaps or weaknesses in your controls and benchmarking your progress over time.
How eSentire Can Help You Build, and Maintain, a Cybersecurity Compliance Program
Organizations today face a challenging balancing act between navigating increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and meeting stringent regulatory requirements. This often leads to cybersecurity programs that check the compliance box but fall short in addressing critical cyber risks and fostering true resilience against attacks.
To bridge this gap, our Virtual CISO (vCISO) team incorporates an organization-wide Security Program Maturity Assessment (SPMA) into every engagement. Grounded in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework, the SPMA assessment allows our vCISO experts to gain a deep understanding of your organization’s unique strengths, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for improvement.
With the resulting insights, we can help you create a cybersecurity strategy that goes beyond compliance to fortify your overall security posture and enhance long-term resilience.
Our expertise extends to navigating overlapping regulatory mandates across diverse industries and regions, ensuring that your compliance efforts are comprehensive and aligned with strategic business goals.
From scoping compliance mandates to obtaining buy-in from senior leadership and fostering employee adherence, we empower organizations to view cybersecurity compliance as a value-added program rather than just a cost center.
Rick Plumadore
Director of Cyber Resilience and Risk Strategy
Rick Plumadore is the Director of Cyber Resilience and Risk Strategy at eSentire with 25+ years of experience in IT and cybersecurity. Throughout his career, Rick has developed, implemented, and managed comprehensive security programs across a broad spectrum of industries. His expertise spans from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises on a global scale. His strategic insights and hands-on approach have helped numerous customers enhance their security posture and mitigate risks effectively. Rick holds a Master of Business Administration and is a Qualified Technology Expert from the Digital Directors Network. He is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) and a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
Cookies allow us to deliver the best possible experience for you on our website - by continuing to use our website or by closing this box, you are consenting to our use of cookies. Visit our Privacy Policy to learn more.
