Meeting security requirements is usually confused with compliance. The reason for this confusion is most likely misunderstood standards and misinformation on the internet. While these are related topics, they cannot be used interchangeably. There is actually a fine line separating the two, Security vs. compliance.
So the issue is that you can be a compliant company and not be secure at all. Ensuring compliance and making sure you meet the criteria of a specific standard doesn’t automatically make you safe. Keep reading to learn about the key differences so you can be secure as well as compliant.
What is IT security- Security vs. compliance?
IT security is a comprehensive system with the main goal of protecting a company’s sensitive data. It is the completion of rules, policies, technologies, and framework that decides how your employees, third-party partners, and other associates may use, store or share personal information.
When IT security processes are properly monitored and updated, cyber threats are minimized and all assets of the company remain secure.
What is IT compliance?
Compliance means your company meets a particular set of rules defined by the state or the government. Regarding IT compliance, authorities specify certain standards related to security measures, and if your company is able to meet the minimums, you become compliant.
These standards include HIPAA and GDPR but they may change based on the sector or location. Usually, these standards mainly aim to help companies with business needs and are not usually related to the technical needs of a company.
Key differences between security and compliance
While security is directly related to the technical requirements regarding cybersecurity to protect a company’s database, compliance is meeting an authority’s standards on the issue of information security.
That’s why being a compliant company doesn’t guarantee being a secure one. The technical requirements of each company’s infrastructure may change drastically. Let’s see the key differences in more detail.
1-) Security protects assets, compliance protects operations
IT security doesn’t have to do anything with a third party’s requirements. Its only goal is to protect the company assets for the company’s security and success. As the technologies and policies required to protect these assets always change due to evolving threats, IT security is usually a never-ending process.
On the other hand, compliance is done to meet a third party’s standards and its main purpose is to let the company continue its business operations without any restriction. It doesn’t deal with technical specifications.
These standards might be complicated because of the diversity. Services such as security compliance solutions allow business operations to continue by facilitating compliance.
2-) Compliance creates a baseline to build on
While IT security is a never-ending process in which the threats are always changing as well as the security measures, it needs a baseline to build on. Compliance is the baseline for IT security.
Reputable government organizations define sets of rules in accordance with the business and sector needs so you can easily improve your security structure after meeting the minimum requirements. In short, compliance is the main guideline that IT security takes tips from and improves itself.
3-) Rules vs. technology
IT security is always oriented towards the best technologies and security services available at that time. That’s what IT security teams are all about; they monitor their network, assess risks and vulnerabilities, and implement the best security technology they can to overcome these risks.
On the other hand, compliance professionals always abide by the rules of a specific standard. They are not directly related to the best security technologies on the market. Compliance teams also worry about the potential legal issues and make sure the company fully understands the requirements they need to comply with.
These two are definitely close, but compliance teams focus more on words and rules while security teams focus on the latest technology and tools for cybersecurity.
Security vs. compliance: Both critical for success
While the two have slight yet important understanding differences, they create the dream duo when both are applied correctly.
The best thing to do would be to understand the needs of your sector and your binding authority’s requirements and meet them. At the same time, have the best security policies and technologies so you can ensure sensitive data protection as well as operational continuity.
For example, make sure you have regular audits and vulnerability tests as scheduled internal processes. If the standards require you to do that once a year, make sure you do it frequently. You’ll be compliant and you’ll always have an idea of the latest condition of your network.
Conclusion
Security and compliance might sound like the same thing, especially since there is a misconception that a compliant company is a secure one.
However, this is not true since compliance is directly related to the requirements of a third party where security is linked to the particular needs of a company to protect its assets. Compliance can be done when you check all the boxes, but ensuring security never ends with evolving threats and technologies.
They are not exactly the same thing, but they are both essential to a company’s success and protection against cyberthreats, legal issues, and financial losses. So, make sure to emphasize security and compliance together.
