The regulatory landscape constantly evolves, and the number of cyber-attacks is rising. Organizations face the challenge of meeting strict and complex requirements for cybersecurity compliance. It is essential for companies to comply with the standards and regulations regarding the safety of information and data privacy that are relevant to the industry and global or local laws. 

This article will help you navigate through the compliance protocol labyrinth and show why implementing adequate solutions minimizes the risk of data breaches.

Reasons for complying with security regulations

Cybersecurity compliance is crucial for all companies, regardless of their size. The IBM Data Breach Report found that in 2022, 83% of organizations impacted by IT incidents had multiple data breaches. Neglecting to invest in robust cybersecurity measures leaves vulnerabilities open to malicious actors and increases the risk of non-compliance.

Why should your organization prioritize security regulations?

Avoiding fines and penalties

To protect access to your sensitive data, you must stay up-to-date with industry-specific compliance requirements. Non-compliance can result in substantial fines. The regulatory controls vary depending on the business’s location or data processing practices.

Some common compliance regulations include:

• European General Data Protection Act (GDPR)

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

• Payment Card Industry – Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)

• International Standard to Manage Information Security (ISO 27001)

• System and Organization Controls Standard (SOC TYPE 1 and 2)

Companies with access to confidential data are at a greater risk of becoming a target for cybercriminals. Protecting sensitive information is vital for maintaining your customers’ trust and enhancing your organization’s reputation. Potential data leaks or theft can cause significant financial losses and damage your reputation.

Upgrading your data management capabilities

Modern businesses need to upgrade their data management capabilities. This includes implementing encrypted data, resource management features, and access control tools like single sign-on (SSO), biometrics, and two-factor authentication (2FA).

For example, healthcare organizations must with the new HIPAA encryption requirements and ensure all sensitive patient data is unreadable, undecipherable, and unusable to unauthorized individuals or software.

The challenges of security compliance control

Regulatory compliance means following rules designed to keep organizations in line with industry-specific laws. These regulations reduce breach risks, ensure companies are transparent, and protect them from financial losses or legal penalties. Compliance also boosts an organization’s reputation, integrity, and standing in the industry. Our comprehensive guide on compliance gives you a bigger picture of this important topic.

Non-compliant organizations face significant penalties. For example, Uber had to pay $148 million to settle a data breach affecting 57 million riders and drivers. Equifax paid $575 million for compromising the data of approximately 147 million people. Violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) can result in fines of up to $ 23 million for companies with EU citizens in their customer base.

Before discussing ways of reducing risks and implementing cybersecurity controls, it’s essential to understand the challenges your organization needs to overcome in security compliance control.

Challenge 1: evolving security environments

Security threats and compliance demands are constantly changing. New regulations are introduced to address emerging cyber risks, making your organization promptly adapt and adhere to updated controls.

Challenge 2: distributed workforce and endpoints

The remote work model has expanded the attack surface, making endpoints the epicenter of threats. Managing and securing many employee devices presents a challenge for any organization.

Challenge 3: larger teams

Coordinating teams and infrastructures across an extensive working environment complicates compliance management.

Additionally, a data breach can result in higher costs and impacts many individuals.

Challenge 4: multiple regulations

Irrespective of the industry, your business must follow many rules and regulations. And companies with employees in different countries must meet compliance regulations specific to each location. For example, processing payments through point-of-service (POS) devices necessitates compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Control Standard (PCI DSS) standards.

Challenge 5: outdated technologies

Relying on manual methods such as spreadsheets and file shares for compliance updates is time-consuming and falls short of cybersecurity requirements. Keeping up with the changing industry regulations demands advanced tools to maintain secure data protection environments.

Understanding compliance protocols

Compliance rules cover various areas, including data privacy and financial reporting, with variations based on industry and location. Ensuring effective compliance with industry-specific regulations can be complex. Through security compliance management, you can bring security and compliance together.

Let’s now explore major compliance protocols that focus on protecting sensitive data, such as personal information, health records, and payment details.

HIPAA

What is it?

HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, is a federal law in the United States that ensures healthcare providers handle sensitive medical information according to the same regulations. It consists of four rules that provide guidance on achieving HIPAA compliance.

Best practices for HIPAA compliance

• Familiarize yourself with the HIPAA requirements.

• Create a HIPAA compliance checklist.

• Identify and classify your sensitive data.

• Establish access controls and implement safeguards for Protected Health Information (PHI).

• Consider using a network access solution like NordLayer for easier HIPAA compliance.

With NordLayer’s HIPAA-compliant solution, you can meet healthcare industry regulations without requiring complex advanced setups or lengthy deployments. Gain secure access to every endpoint in your organization, locking down essential apps and databases while maintaining user-friendly accessibility.

GDPR

What is it?

The GDPR, or the General Data Protection Regulation, is a data protection and privacy law that applies to the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area countries. It focuses on protecting the personal data of European citizens and imposes requirements on how companies should handle such information.

The GPDR enables EU citizens to manage their personal data without restrictions. A company must get an individual’s consent before ensuring confidentiality and safety for any data processing activities. Also, the organization informs the affected person and the right institutions in case of a breach.

Best practices for GPDR compliance

• Get familiar with a GPDR compliance checklist for companies.

• Appoint a Data Protection Officer to stay updated on the GPDR requirements.

• Partner with a trusted security service provider.

• Map out your  GPDR compliance strategy and determine what security measures your company needs.

NordLayer’s compliance solutions are user-friendly, requiring no hardware and offering easy deployment, start, and scalability. One of our solutions, Zero Trust Network Access, provides enhanced security through multilayered network access control. With our Virtual Private Gateway, your traffic is encrypted, and your identity remains hidden while connecting to a public Wi-Fi. Our secret remote access solutions, such as Secure Remote Access and site-to-site connections, ensure secure and convenient remote access to devices and networks.

ISO 27001

What is it?

ISO 27001 is a widely recognized global recognized standard for information security management systems. It provides a framework for organizations to handle and protect various data types, including intellectual property, customer, employee, and financial information.

The regulations outlined in  ISO 27001 emphasize the importance of identifying and managing cyber risks, implementing security controls, and monitoring the system 24/7.

Best practices for ISO 27001 implementation

• Start with your ISO 27001 implementation checklist.

• Conduct a risk assessment to identify your system vulnerabilities.

• Implement security controls and monitor the system.

With Nordlayer’s solutions, you can ensure your data is encrypted and only known devices access your network and prevent unauthorized access with network segmentation or a Zero-Trust access model.

PCI-DSS

What is it?

PCI-DSS, or Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, is a set of rules designed to protect credit card transactions in the payment industry. It focuses on managing risks associated with payment information and requires organizations to implement security controls, such as encryption and access controls, to safeguard cardholder data throughout the transaction process.

Best practices for PCI-DSS implementation

• Review the PCI-DSS compliance checklist.

• You can then assess your systems and processes to identify vulnerabilities.

• Assess systems and princesses for vulnerabilities.

• Deploy security measures aligned with PCI-DSS requirements, such as a firewall, traffic encryption, and restricting access to your confidential data

SOC 2 report

What is it?

SOC 2 is a voluntary compliance standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) to ensure businesses handle sensitive customer data securely. It provides insights into how a company and its partners manage and secure access to confidential data.

There are two types of SOC 2 reports:

• SOC 2 Type I describes the organization’s systems and ensures they follow relevant trust principles.

• SOC 2 Type II describes the operational efficiency of the system.

Best practices for SOC 2 report

To ensure a successful SOC 2 report and that your valuable customer data and privacy are well-protected, you must implement robust security measures like monitoring, access controls, and encryption.

NordLayer has gone through an independent SOC 2 Type 1 audit. What does it mean for your business? It means that all NordLayer’s tools provide adequate security controls to manage customer data and protect privacy.

How NordLayer helped a full-stack insurtech secure data

Rey. id, first Indonesia’s insurtech start-up is an insurance platform offering various healthcare services, including online and offline doctor consultations. As Rey deals with sensitive and regulated data, it was crucial for them to put appropriate security controls in place.

Rey needed a trusted system that meets the Indonesian regulatory requirements and safely store all data for 25 years. Using NordLayer, Rey seamlessly integrated their systems, enabling secure connections to their app and cloud servers. The hardware-free Business VPN service is now mandatory for Rey’s employees based on their job roles and access permissions, and it requires minimal resources for setup and maintenance. Rey also implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), including Single Sign-On (SSO) for user authentication.

Rey’s team can easily manage new employees, allowlist IP addresses for new servers, and assign specific task groups based on their needs, like code uploading and system deployment. This simplifies the VPN configuration process within the infrastructure, removing its complexity.

With NordLayer, Rey combined security measures with compliance standards, effectively reducing data breach risks. These strong security solutions helped Rey achieve ISO 27001, a huge milestone for a young company like theirs, ensuring the secure handling of confidential data.

Actionable tips and best practices for compliance

Maintaining regulatory compliance in today’s hybrid and remote work environment has become increasingly challenging. Here are some practical tips to help your organization secure access to your sensitive data and ensure compliance.

• Encrypt data transfers from untrusted networks. Encryption helps you safeguard data confidentiality, protecting it from unauthorized access. This is particularly crucial for healthcare providers, partners, and subcontractors dealing with Protected Health Information.

• Monitor and audit your network activity 24/7. With efficient monitoring, logging, and auditing solutions, you can track secured connections, detect anomalies and prevent security incidents.

• Allow only trusted devices to connect to your internal network. You can ensure the network’s security and health by monitoring and accessing devices based on predefined security rules. Receive notifications about non-compliant devices to take appropriate measures.

• Implement access segmentation to protect resources and limit cybercriminals’  movement within your network in the event of a breach. Network segmentation enables you to allocate resource access using private gateways, enhancing overall network security.

• Adopt a Zero-Trust solution to strengthen your network safety. This model ensures that only authorized users can access protected data by implementing strict security measures like 2FA, SSO, and biometrics. With this trust-noone-verify-all approach, you can enhance the safety of your network and safeguard your data.

How can NordLayer help your organization achieve compliance?

Modern organizations face now complex digital security rules and regulations. Poor security compliance exposes businesses to risks, including regulatory fines, reputational damage from data breaches, and financial losses.

As you embark on your way to compliance, you must familiarize yourself with the specific regulations relevant to your industry. For example, healthcare organizations should comply with HIPPA, while companies operating within the European Union must adhere to the GDPR.

NordLayer provides advanced and reliable tools that help organizations merge security and compliance effectively. By integrating our solutions into your compliance strategies, you can secure access to sensitive data. Whatever sector your organization operates in, NordLayer can assist in achieving compliance.

To begin your compliance journey, get in touch with our team. Whether you need ISO 20007 certification, HIPAA compliance, or adherence to the GDPR, we are here to support you on every step of the way.

Modern businesses heavily rely on internet access for communication and collaboration. This also makes it the #1 channel for cybercriminals trying to access sensitive data. This modern threat landscape is a critical cybersecurity challenge that businesses must be aware of and be prepared to defend against.

Therefore, in this blog post, we’ll discuss the importance of internet access security for businesses operating in all work models, including remote, office, and hybrid. With the number of cyberattacks ramping up, it’s crucial not to hope for the best and believe it will never happen to your company.

What internet access security challenges affect businesses?

Businesses hold and manage large amounts of sensitive data, including customer information, financial data, and trade secrets. If this information isn’t properly secured, unauthorized users can obtain access to it, causing a data breach.

Now, these challenges are even harder to avoid because after the pandemic many businesses have adopted different work models. As a result, secure internet access can mean completely different approaches and unique sets of challenges.

Remote work challenges

During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work has been the norm for many companies. Even after the quarantines had ended, many businesses kept working from home. While remote work brings benefits and flexibility, it also comes with challenges.

Use of personal devices

The practice of employees bringing their own device for work-related tasks, known as (BYOD), became widespread during the pandemic. Employees hired remotely usually had no personal contact with IT administration, so they worked with their home devices.

The risk lies in the fact that they’re unmanaged and may lack the same level of security as company-issued devices. These circumstances leave them vulnerable to all kinds of attacks, with limited capabilities for IT administrators to stop them.

Unsecure networks

Home networks may not have the same level of security as properly managed corporate networks. Employees using outdated or vulnerable network devices are more susceptible to exploits that hackers could use to gain entry into company systems.

Remote employees are solely responsible for securing their own devices, but they may not always have the necessary knowledge to do it effectively. This also allows hackers to initiate phishing messages or cause disruptions.

Access control

When allowing employees to work remotely, a security policy should clearly state how and who can access sensitive data. Without such a policy, organizations may fall into the trap of being unable to verify who is accessing their networks or data. This is a sure route to costly data breaches and reputational damage.

In addition, compliance regulations like GDPR and HIPAA require organizations to have robust access control policies to protect sensitive data. Failure to do so may result in legal liabilities and hurt business financially.

Office work challenges

While working in the office seems more secure than remote work in most managers’ eyes, it’s not immune to various security threats. In fact, several cybersecurity risks may be more prevalent for employees working in an office than in other models.

Social engineering

Social engineering attacks target the human aspect of security, making them harder to detect and prevent. Very little stands in a dedicated hacker’s way if they plan out a fake identity, impersonating legitimate employees, and using other psychological tactics. For example, tailgating is based on following a genuine employee through the door without authorization.

Employees in an office environment have physical access to sensitive documents and data. This can mean that once a hacker is inside the building, all the sensitive data can be compromised (or stolen).

Insider threats

While network segmentation helps to introduce boundaries that prevent users’ lateral movement in the network, all these boundaries are much more fluid in an office setting. Employees may write their passwords on sticky notes and leave them on their desks, which is something that malicious colleagues could exploit.

In-office identity thefts and malicious leaks may be harder to stop or detect. Additionally, deliberate leaks or theft of physical documents and devices by someone working on-premises are scenarios that an IT manager should prepare for.

Hybrid work challenges

Hybrid work, which combines remote and office models, adds up challenges from both approaches. Employees must be provided with secure methods to connect to hosted resources when working remotely. Meanwhile, when they’re back in the office, they need to be vigilant about risks they could be lurking in shared spaces. This makes the hybrid model the most difficult to secure.

Double the maintenance

Hybrid work puts a huge strain on IT administrators. They must simultaneously support and manage two fronts: office employees must be provided with secure network access when working on-premises and remote employees must be provided with secure routes into their network.

Both modes must be compatible, operate without interruptions, and be secure. It’s an intricate system with many moving parts, so naturally, it’s much harder to supervise.

Increased physical security risks

Hybrid employees carry work devices back and forth between the office and their homes, increasing the risk of theft or loss. A lost device may not be a serious risk if properly secured with strong passwords or encryption. However, if not, it could easily lead to a data breach.

Additionally, working in public areas or during transit increases the potential for shoulder surfing attacks, when an attacker can physically view the device screen. As the attacker needs to be physically close to their victim, this has become quite prevalent with the growing popularity of hybrid work models.

Why is internet access security important for businesses?

Modern-day enterprises heavily rely on the internet to enable all kinds of their operations. As a result, its secure access is important, regardless of the connection method an organization uses. Achieving secure internet access also enables businesses:

• Protecting sensitive information. Unsecured communication channels may lead to the loss of sensitive information, which could be disastrous for a company’s reputation and cause legal complications.

• Mitigating cyber threats. Mostly, the internet is a publicly used platform, and it exposes businesses to various risks like malware, phishing, and hacking attempts.

• Complying with regulations. Many industries are subject to regulations requiring them to maintain strict security measures. Failure to comply can result in heavy fines or legal repercussions.

• Ensuring business operations continuity. Cyberattacks have the potential to disrupt day-to-day business operations, leading to downtime and lost revenue.

By tackling internet access security challenges, businesses can avoid risks and establish a proper foundation for uninterrupted growth and operational continuity.

How do businesses secure their internet access against various threats?

Securing work environments against threats can vary depending on the business size and risks faced by businesses. Some companies have the manpower and resources to build their own in-house solutions. Others take the simplest approach and turn to a third-party provider adopting their already established tools. Here are two real-life examples.

Whatagraph

A digital marketing reporting platform, Whatagraph transitioned to a hybrid work model when faced with the challenge of local talent shortage. This also meant that they needed to figure out how to allow their remote hires to connect securely to their infrastructure. A comprehensive cybersecurity solution establishing a private gateway to the company’s data and applications was an obvious choice. As Whatagraph is a rapidly scaling company, the solution must also integrate admin features and provide uncomplicated scaling.

To address their needs, Whatagraph turned to NordLayer, using it mainly as a business VPN back when it was still called NordVPN Teams. They leveraged NordLayer’s Virtual Private Gateways with dedicated IP addresses to securely connect to their company network, sealing the sensitive data in an encrypted tunnel.

What also helped was that NordLayer seamlessly integrated with their existing solutions, eliminating the need for additional technical integration. This provided Whatagraph with optimal internet access security within minutes.

Atlantis Games

A mobile game development company, Atlantis Games, found themselves trapped in a corner when manual user handling ways weren’t keeping up with their growth. Initially, their setup was manually allowlisting individual users’ IP addresses, which worked for a small team. However, once a business expanded and developers and customer support specialists needed multiple IP addresses, the manual approach proved to be too much of a task.

NordLayer came to the rescue by providing a smoothly running client with uninterrupted connections. By using Virtual Private Gateways with IP allowlisting for organization members, Atlantis Gamest eliminated the need for manual maintenance or in-house hardware purchases. Plus, they were able to segment teams by projects and allowlist their IP addresses accordingly. The setup mitigated the data breach risk and introduced more granular data access controls.

As the tool seamlessly integrated with their existing company cloud systems, the transition was smooth and freed them from tedious manual management. This resulted in a more efficient and secure connectivity model with additional NordLayer features.

Actionable tips and best practices

Businesses must handle the data that they hold responsibly, not only to fulfill their promise to their clients, but also to meet requirements from the government bodies. By following best industry tips and practices, organizations can help prevent cybersecurity incidents and mitigate the risk of lawsuits and financial penalties.

Organizations can take several steps to improve internet access security in all working environments. These include: 

• Using strong and unique passwords. Online account protection largely rests on the strength of your users’ passwords. Reusing passwords makes it easier for hackers to gain entry into multiple accounts with the same set of credentials. Therefore, requiring a strong and unique password is a simple yet effective way to secure against the simplest threats.

• Regularly updating software. Periodically updating software is crucial to maintaining a secure system and protecting against cyber threats. As vulnerabilities are discovered daily, using outdated software makes it easier for hackers to exploit known flaws. The only way to avoid those exploits is to patch vulnerabilities to reduce your system’s susceptibility to attacks.

• Using a VPN. When a user connects to a VPN, its internet traffic is encrypted, protecting all exchanged information under a seal. VPNs also mask your real IP address, making it more difficult for websites and services to track your online activity or location. This alone can make remote working risks less severe.

• Limiting user access to sensitive information. Enforcing a need-to-know basis for accessing all data. By restricting access to only those who require it, you can reduce the risk of unauthorized access or exposure to confidential information. This can minimize the likelihood of insider threats and ensure accountability for information access.

• Training employees to recognize cyber threats. Cybercriminals often target employees through phishing emails to gain access to sensitive information. This makes employees a key component of the organization’s defense system. For this reason, they should be equipped to recognize and stop hacking attempts, alongside our technical systems.

How can NordLayer help?

Internet access security is a priority for most companies, no matter what industry they work in. Nowadays, it poses unique security challenges businesses need to address due to various work models like remote, office, and hybrid.

NordLayer can assist enterprises in protecting their connections over the public internet. This is achieved by encrypting the connection between the user’s device and the middleman server using advanced ciphers. It ensures that all data exchanged is kept secure and cannot be read by outsiders.

With cutting-edge security technologies, NordLayer can block access to malicious websites and control entry to specific content categories. Using Public Shared Gateways, NordLayer expands browsing capabilities, allowing global business exploration and guaranteeing the confidentiality of users’ and resources’ true location.

Businesses can enhance their internet access security by implementing best industry practices and regularly training employees on security threats. This is a sure way to protect sensitive information from data breaches, no matter what work model your organization is.

Contact our sales team and discover how to achieve greater internet access security.