In today’s world with cyber attacks hitting the headlines daily, cybersecurity is at the forefront of many business owners’ minds, but implementing the right solutions and knowing what to do to reduce your risk is a big challenge for decision makers in these organizations. The task is even harder for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMB) that tend to lack extensive budgets and resources needed for implementing the most effective and high-brow cybersecurity solutions on the market.

Compliance is a constant issue that affects businesses in multiple ways every day. Not only must your compliance program address individual acts of misconduct; the program must assure that your organization follows laws, rules, and regulations overtime — every day, day after day, in perpetuity.

Currently, only four companies are officially approved by the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB) as authorized C3PAOs, and just under 200 organizations are currently listed as C3PAO Candidates pending a CMMC Maturity Level 3 Assessment.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 is a U.S. federal law meant to protect sensitive electronic protected health information (ePHI). Every healthcare organization (“covered entity”) must comply with its two fundamental rules. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) passed the HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule, which expanded compliance requirements to the business associates that also handle ePHI on behalf of covered entities.

Data breaches have reached a fever pitch over the last few years. The rapid frequency of successful attacks coupled with the rising costs to businesses has raised attention at the highest levels of global governments. In the past, breaches were relatively “localized,” that is, they affected the targeted company only. However, the newer attacks have disrupted entire supply chains.

Regulations have long existed to govern how organizations collect and use information online, as well as what cybersecurity precautions organizations should take while conducting business online. As digital transformation of business processes has accelerated in the last few years, however, that means ever more organizations — large and small — must comply with all those regulations.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress in 1996 to prevent medical fraud and to assure the security of protected health information (PHI), such as names, Social Security numbers, medical records, financial information, electronic health transactions and code sets. The law is managed by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

Security compliance management is the process of monitoring and assessing systems, devices, and networks to ensure they comply with regulatory requirements, as well as industry and local cybersecurity standards. Staying on top of compliance isn’t always easy, especially for highly regulated industries and sectors. Regulations and standards change often, as do threats and vulnerabilities. Organizations often have to respond quickly to remain in compliance.

Defense contractors across the U.S. are moving to update their cybersecurity programs to meet or exceed Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) requirements launched in 2020 by the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide greater protection of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). The effort required for CMMC Level 3 Certification will be significant for many of the small to midsized firms who have limited information technology and cybersecurity personnel and resources.