In today’s technically driven world, security and compliance must be at the forefront for all organizations. According to a 2023 report from The Thomas Reuters Risk & Compliance Survey Report, “61% of corporate risk and compliance professionals reported that their top strategic priority over the next 12 to 18 months was keeping abreast of upcoming regulatory and legislative changes.” According to this same report, “45% of companies expect more compliance involvement in cyber resilience in the coming years.”
Here at Tikit, we are working constantly to uphold the highest standards of security compliance regulations and frameworks. Recently, we announced achieving SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, but this was only one achievement on a longer road towards many other goals. Now with this foundation laid on our ongoing security journey, We’ve built upon this foundation by conquering additional compliance frameworks that allows us to give our customers the assurance and peace of mind that their data is secure and their regulatory or industry compliance requirements are covered.
In this blog post, we celebrate the completion of our HIPAA and GDPR compliance efforts, by exploring the efforts and the positive impact it has had on the organization and its stakeholders. Doing our part for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) marks a significant milestone that reflects our commitment to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our customer’s sensitive data.
Understanding the Terminology
Understanding the intricacies of the HIPAA and GDPR requirements and the associated terminology provided the basis of our compliance journey. Both compliance frameworks are regulatory, which means they are written in legalese which is at times quite arduous to decipher. In addition, even though some requirements overlap, they use different terminology to describe the same thing. Terms like “covered entities”, “business associates”, “adequacy decision” or “records of processing activities” are not really self-explanatory and required actually reading the text in its entirety. Additionally, it is common for security professionals to lean into an excessive use of acronyms.
Understanding Our Role and the Requirements
Gaining an understanding of the regulatory requirements that apply to us specifically was a necessary undertaking. Compliance is not something that we can achieve on our own. It is a shared – or sometimes referred to as cascading – responsibility among our customers, ourselves and the organizations and services we work with to run and operate Tikit. Thankfully, the framers of these regulatory frameworks understood that not all requirements are applicable or even make sense to every organization. But they leave it up to you to determine where you fit in and ensure you cover all the requirements in this cascading responsibilities model.
Building Upon Our Existing Foundation
The foundation for the implementation of the necessary administrative and technical safeguards for any compliance framework is a comprehensive risk analysis. This involves identifying potential risks to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive data. Conducting a thorough risk assessment enables organizations to develop tailored security controls that address specific gaps or even vulnerabilities. Thankfully, our automated compliance monitoring platform allowed us to build on our SOC 2 Type 2 audit efforts, by extending our existing risk analysis and cross-mapping our existing security controls. This enabled us to quickly identify the additional efforts necessary to cover specific HIPAA and GDPR requirements.
Staff Training
Our ongoing HIPAA and GDPR compliance journey is not merely about meeting standards but also about embracing an understanding of the regulatory frameworks. Regular security awareness training ensures all staff are instructed in the nuanced language of HIPAA and GDPR. Familiarity with the terminology and the distinctions between the rules and roles are essential to ensure a thorough grasp of their obligations. This knowledge forms the foundation for effective risk assessments, policy development and the implementation of safeguards. By speaking a common ‘compliance language,’ we effectively empower our teams to make informed decisions, cultivate a culture of compliance and underscore our commitment to safeguarding sensitive information.
Our Compliance Journey
For us here at Tikit, completing our HIPAA and GDPR compliance efforts was not just a box to check; it is an ongoing journey that demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of security and customer privacy. We view these efforts as not only meeting legal obligations but also reaping the benefits of enhanced customer trust, legal confidence, operational efficiency and a competitive edge. Celebrating the achievement of completing our HIPAA and GDPR compliance efforts is not just a moment in time, it is a continuous commitment to maintaining the highest standards in the ever-evolving landscape of data security and privacy.
You can read more about our security and privacy standards and certifications on our security page. We encourage all customers and prospects who are interested in learning more about our commitment to security to contact us at SecAdmin@cireson.com.
