Businesses in regulated industries must ensure compliance with regulations to help them to protect their data, brand, customers, and employees. For instance, financial institutions must adhere to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, while healthcare facilities must meet the standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).
However, achieving compliance is not as simple as ticking off items on a checklist, as each business has unique needs that must be taken into account. Additionally, it takes compliance expertise to implement the right business compliance controls and processes.
Achieving compliance can be daunting, but not if you work with a managed IT services provider (MSP) that specializes in compliance services
Here are five ways an MSP can help make compliance easier for you.
1. Get a comprehensive compliance assessment
One of the main challenges in achieving compliance is that it’s difficult to know where to start. Luckily, an experienced MSP can guide you in navigating this complicated process.
MSPs can identify which compliance regulations you must adhere to and help you develop a plan to ensure you are fully compliant. An MSP can also evaluate your business’s compliance posture, identify areas for improvement, recommend ways to fix security concerns, and even fix these issues themselves if necessary.
Related reading: Data security compliance: What every business owner needs to know
2. Use up-to-date technology
For businesses, technology limitations are often a hurdle to compliance. For example, they may not have the systems in place to track or protect customer data, or they may not have the staff with the expertise to manage and maintain complex systems.
If this is a challenge that you face, an MSP can help you overcome it by providing up-to-date technology that helps you meet compliance requirements. They can also train your staff on how to use and manage various technologies required by regulating bodies.
3. Enjoy proactive maintenance and 24/7 monitoring
Most regulatory authorities require businesses to regularly check and update their systems to ensure that their infrastructure is protected against the latest threats. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard requires businesses to perform quarterly scans of their systems and whenever they implement any significant network changes.
However, many businesses are not equipped to handle these security scans on their own due to a lack of expertise or personnel, or they simply don’t have the time to do so.
MSPs can proactively maintain and update your systems so that you can focus on your business. This service typically includes performing necessary scans and applying security updates as needed.
MSPs can also monitor your systems round the clock, thus ensuring that any issues or breaches are detected and addressed as quickly as possible. Additionally, MSPs can provide reports on the data that is being monitored, which can help you stay on top of your compliance duties.
4. Have a robust backup and disaster recovery strategy
A comprehensive backup and disaster recovery plan is a prerequisite for most, if not all, compliance standards. The General Data Protection Regulation, for instance, requires businesses to restore data in a timely manner in the event of a data breach.
MSPs can help your business with backup and disaster recovery in several ways. For one, MSPs can provide the technology to back up your data on site, off site, or in the cloud. Their IT experts can also assist you in developing and testing a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. What’s more, they can train your staff on how to use and manage technologies needed for disaster recovery.
5. Benefit from expertise and experience
Managed IT services providers know compliance like the back of their hands. They are updated on the latest trends and changes to the regulations, and they understand how to implement the necessary controls and processes that will enable you to gain compliant status. By working with an MSP, you can rest assured knowing that your compliance needs are handled by experts in the field.
These are just five of the many reasons working with MSPs is invaluable when it comes to compliance. Should you need a hand in ensuring your business meets its compliance obligations, consult a trusted MSP like Online Computers. Doing so will save you time, money, and a lot of headaches down the road.
At Online Computers, we offer a suite of HIPAA compliance services, from risk assessments to intuitive training to breach support. Drop us a line today.