How to balance compliance and security with limited resources

Today, many organizations still struggle to adhere to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) mandates even though this landmark regulation took effect nearly two years ago. A key learning for some: being compliant does not always mean you are secure. Shifting privacy regulations, combined with limited resources like budgets and talent shortages, add to today’s business complexities. I hear this concern time and again as I travel around the world meeting with our customers to share how Microsoft can empower organizations successfully through these challenges.

Most recently, I sat down with Emma Smith, Global Security Director at Vodafone Group to talk about their own best practices when navigating the regulatory environment. Vodafone Group is a global company with mobile operations in 24 countries and partnerships that extend to 42 more. The company also operates fixed broadband operations in 19 markets, with about 700 million customers. This global reach means they must protect a significant amount of data while adhering to multiple requirements.

Emma and her team have put a lot of time and effort into the strategies and tactics that keep Vodafone and its customers compliant no matter where they are in the world. They’ve learned a lot in this process, and she shared these learnings with me as we discussed the need for organizations to be both secure and compliant, in order to best serve our customers and maintain their trust. You can watch our conversation and hear more in our CISO Spotlight episode.

Cybersecurity enables privacy compliance

As you work to balance compliance with security keep in mind that, as Emma said, “There is no privacy without security.” If you have separate teams for privacy and security, it’s important that they’re strategically aligned. People only use technology and services they trust, which is why privacy and security go hand in hand.

Vodafone did a security and privacy assessment across all their big data stores to understand where the high-risk data lives and how to protect it. They were then able to implement the same controls for privacy and security. It’s also important to recognize that you will never be immune from an attack, but you can reduce the damage.

Emma offered three recommendations for balancing security with privacy compliance:

• Develop a risk framework so you can prioritize your efforts.
• Communicate regularly with the board and executive team to align on risk appetite.
• Establish the right security capabilities internally and/or through a mix of partners and third parties.

I couldn’t agree more, as these are also important building blocks for any organization as they work to become operationally resilient.

I also asked Emma for her top five steps for becoming compliant with privacy regulations:

• Comply with international standards first, then address local rules.
• Develop a clear, board-approved strategy.
• Measure progress against your strategy.
• Develop a prioritized program of work with clear outcomes.
• Stay abreast of new technologies and new threats.

The simplest way to manage your risk is to minimize the amount of data that you store. Privacy assessments will help you know where the data is and how to protect it. Regional and local laws can provide tools to guide your standards. Protecting online privacy and personal data is a big responsibility, but with a risk management approach, you can go beyond the “letter of the law” to better safeguard data and support online privacy as a human right.

Learn more

Watch my conversation with Emma about balancing security with privacy compliance. To learn more about compliance and GDPR, read Microsoft Cloud safeguards individual privacy.

Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us at @MSFTSecurity for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

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