What is Compliance Certification?
Different regulatory agencies such as the US Government and EU, as well as industrial sectors such as the Payment Card Industry, mandate businesses, and agencies to secure individuals’ personal and financial data. The process of validation for implementation and operationalization of these standards is generally called Compliance Certification.
Let’s begin our discussion with some important Compliance Certifications that an agency or organization dealing with sensitive data should attain. Later we’d see the benefits of compliance certification for your business.
PCI
Payment Card Industry (PCI) certifications are a standard for debit and credit card transactions developed by Visa, MasterCard, and other financial institutes to protect users from fraud and data theft. It was formed in 2004. Following PCI Compliance ensures safe transactions which builds trust among users. As its name implies this certification is related to the payment card data and its security. So if you are in an industry where you have to deal with lots of transactions, you must get this certification.
HIPPA
HIPAA is an acronym for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It is a U.S. federal law formulated in 1994 to reform the healthcare industry. It was revisited in 2009 and 2013 and now it focuses mainly on the protection of patient’s health data. HIPPA Compliance Certification is given to individuals as well as organizations. Numerous training companies provide training for these certifications. It is mandatory for organizations and individuals working in the healthcare industry. Agencies and companies focusing on Health-related data need to follow the requirements laid out in the program.
GDPR
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It is a law enacted for the European Union and European Economic Area. Its primary purpose is to protect the users’ sensitive data, provide users control over personal data, and facilitate international business transactions. All companies working in Europe or interacting with European companies must comply with this law.
SOC Compliance
SOC is an acronym for Security Operation Center. It means that an organization follows the highest level of Information Security to mitigate data risk, as per the terms of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2022. Public companies are required to follow this regulation. Nowadays, almost all industries including healthcare, real estate, software, and others have become data-intensive. Therefore users expect the highest standard of security for their personal data. The certified organizations have a dedicated unit for information security and impact assessment.
Let’s discuss what are some of the benefits to go for certification for organizations and individuals dealing with sensitive personal data.
Data Authorization to avoid reputation damage
Following Compliance requirements for sensitive personal data, cyber security, and attack mitigation, can help protect your organization from any reputation blunder. By implementing the required steps of compliance certification for data authorization to avoid data leaks, your organization can protect its reputation.
As the world has become more connected with social media and other communication channels, the role of reputation management has risen to the next level. The reputation of any organization is built over several years of hard work, however, a benign issue shared over social media can cause irreversible damage. That’s why you should opt for compliance certifications.
You can eliminate the risk of data loss
Compliance processes and policies prevent the risk of fraud and data leaks. In recent years we have seen a rise in ransomware and data leaks. Hackers steal precious users’ data and sell it on the dark web. Besides a reputation issue, it can tank any business with a massive ransom demanded to restore data. Smart companies believe in the Mantra: Prevention is better than cure. The best way of dealing with this and other data theft issues is to avoid it in the first place. The best way is to follow the Compliance standards such as SOC, PCI, and GDPR.
Compliance Certification increases productivity
Compliance helps companies to enhance consistency as well. Let’s understand it with the help of an example. You may notice that the taste of Macdonald’s burger is the same whether you have it today or after 3 months. The reason is simple, they follow the standard operating procedures. That’s why you get the consistent flavor of Big Mac every time.
This is not very different from the Compliance Certifications in terms of data loss prevention, cyber attack mitigation, and authorization. Companies that follow compliance requirements achieve consistency in their operations and services. This increases efficiency and smooth workflow which results in increased productivity and profits.
How can we help:
CRES Technology complies with all major certification requirements of PCI, GDPR & HIPAA, and we can also help you become compliant.
Different regulatory agencies such as the US Government and EU, as well as industrial sectors such as the Payment Card Industry, mandate businesses, and agencies to secure individuals’ personal and financial data. This is where CRES steps in.
At CRES Technology, we safeguard our customers and ourselves by maintaining statutory and regulatory compliance with HIPAA, PCI, and GDPR. We are compliant and we have the knowledge, experience, and resources to help you get these certifications.
Talk to us about how we can help you become compliant.
About Waqar Hussain
CRES Technology – Director of IT Services
A technology leader with outstanding knowledge, technical expertise, and a proven track record of leading complex infrastructure projects and managing help desk teams.
