Blog | Charles IT

How a managed IT services provider can make the headache of data-regulations compliance go away

Written by Foster Charles | Apr 24, 2019 2:24:40 AM

Compliance.

Just the sound of it is intimidating — especially if your business isn’t ready for it.

It would be one thing if compliance were a set-it-and-forget-it proposition. But it’s most assuredly not. Especially in IT, compliance represents a continuum of constant change. To deal with moving targets like cyberthreats and data privacy, policies and protocols can and must undergo continual modifications. As daunting as it might be, it’s your responsibility to observe and keep up with these moving targets – or face consequences that can be disastrous.

For small-to medium-sized businesses, the reality is even more challenging. Without the resources of major corporations, your IT infrastructure and systems still must still be compliant, up to date and available 24/7/365.

For a variety of very good reasons, DIY compliance solutions are non-starters. Hiring and maintaining internal compliance resources are cost-intensive and extremely difficult for a growing business to sustain. And without ready access to legal teams, small businesses can easily become flummoxed in framing compliance issues according to industry- and region-specific policies such as HIPAA, FINRA, GDPR and PCI.

And let’s face it: compliance is not what you went into business to do.

MSPs Please

With government and other regulatory bodies demanding stricter compliance across the board, businesses like yours are increasingly turning to Managed Services Providers (MSPs). By implementing robust hardware compliance, routine testing, virtual control centers, firewalls, intrusion prevention systems and more, an MSP can substantially improve your security from physical to application layers.

Bonus: An MSP relieves the burden on IT teams already straining to juggle core tasks and balance budgets – IT teams like yours!

Auditing the Right Way

Routine auditing can reveal IT vulnerabilities and bring security issues, if any, to the surface. If you conduct routine audits yourself, the process will weigh heavily on your in-house IT team, putting it under tremendous pressure to address and fix problems immediately. Alternatively, an MSP can provide timely solutions fully compliant with all government and IT protocols. The takeaway: You feel a welcome sense of relief knowing that you are comfortably ahead of the compliance curve — and that it will never become a tsunami.

Cyberthreats Are Everywhere

Cyberthreats continue to morph and evolve, keeping pace with technology and creating, in turn, an ever more critical need to keep up with enhanced data-protection regulations. Trust us: You don’t even want to entertain the alternative. Non-compliance with data regulations means remaining vulnerable to malicious actors.

At a time when even the regulators themselves (Hello, U.S. government!) acknowledge that keeping up with the speed of compliance is difficult for small businesses, working with an MSP can become your business’s ace in the hole.

And speaking of the government, consider DFARS - the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. If your company is working with the Department of Defense in any capacity (or ever hopes to), you must meet certain data security benchmarks in order to acquire and maintain a contract, which includes the adoption of – count ‘em – 79 predefined security protocols. SMPs specialize in DFARS assessments and compliance – so you don’t have to.

Exhibits A, B and C: Taming the Alphabet Soup of Compliance

HIPAA, PCI and GDPR.

Most businesses are subject to the rules and regulations of multiple regulatory bodies. Like it or not, businesses such as yours have to jump through a painstaking procession of hoops to adhere to updated stipulations and new policies.

Consider:

  • HIPAA – The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 applies not only to healthcare providers but also to vendors and suppliers who require access to protected health information (PHI).
    The MSP’s role is to ensure that clients understand that documentation and encryption of data are not optional, implementing the necessary technology to make sure that patient records are secured and protected both physically and virtually.
    Charles IT’s HIPAA assessment covers all of your information technology systems and identifies security and compliance pain points.
  • PCI – Compliance in the payment-card industry applies to businesses of all sizes that handle credit card payments. If your business stores, processes and transmits cardholder data, you’ll need a provider capable of hosting that data securely. Charles IT specializes in cloud-based, PCI-compliant hosting systems, encryption, firewalls, strong system passwords and other robust security parameters. 

  • GDPR – The EU General Data Protection Regulation has created a ripple effect across various industries. When doing business with EU citizens, you fall under its scope. And here’s the rub: If you get compliance wrong, your business could suffer massive fines and penalties. 
At its heart, the GDPR is an effort to enhance data privacy and security in every practice of conducting business. Charles IT is thoroughly versed on the ins-and-outs of GDPR.

Take A Walk…On the Safe Side

Working with an MSP like Charles IT ensures your compliance when it comes to every conceivable data regulation. We exist to reduce risks to your business by applying effective measures accordingly, proactively and immediately. Whether you’re eager to catch up or just getting started, call us today and we’ll walk you through your first assessment.