Cybersecurity GRC Consulting

Cybersecurity Consulting

Part-time remote cybersecurity GRC consulting available after hours.

Risk Management

Expert advice for cybersecurity governance and compliance challenges.

1. Developing a Strong IT Security & Risk Governance Program: Small and medium businesses often lack a formalized approach to IT security. Expert advice includes establishing a clear program for security and risk, encompassing policies, procedures, and responsibilities. This involves:

• Assessing Current State: Evaluate existing IT security practices and identify vulnerabilities.

• Defining Risk Appetite: Determine the level of risk the business is willing to accept.

• Implementing Key Frameworks: While larger frameworks like COBIT and COSO might seem extensive, their core principles can be scaled. Focus on establishing fundamental controls for information security.

• Regular Program Assessment: Periodically review and update the governance program to adapt to evolving threats and business changes.

2. Achieving and Maintaining Compliance: Compliance can be a significant hurdle for smaller entities, especially when dealing with sensitive data. Expert guidance for small and medium businesses includes understanding and addressing relevant compliance requirements such as:

• HIPAA Compliance: If handling healthcare information, even on a small scale, adherence to HIPAA is critical. This involves implementing appropriate security and privacy controls to protect sensitive data.

• PCI Compliance: For businesses processing credit card information, Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance is essential. Expert advice involves implementing and assessing proper controls for the use, processing, storage, and transmission of financial data.

• Data Protection and Privacy: Regardless of specific regulations, all businesses should prioritize the protection of sensitive data. This involves managing risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information.

• Policy and Procedure Development: Develop and regularly update policies and procedures to reflect compliance requirements. This includes supporting documentation and action plans.

3. Proactive Risk Management and Vulnerability Remediation: Many small businesses react to security incidents rather than proactively preventing them. Expert advice emphasizes:

• Incident Response Planning: Develop training material and processes for responding to security incidents to minimize their impact.

• Vulnerability Management: Implement a process to document and monitor the results of internal and external scans to track the timely remediation of vulnerabilities. This helps in identifying and addressing weaknesses before they can be exploited.

• Network Configuration Management: Ensure proper configuration of network devices to enhance security.

• Regular Security Assessments: Periodically assess IT security architecture to identify potential weaknesses.

4. Effective Communication and Collaboration: Even small businesses need clear communication channels regarding security. Expert advice includes:

• Internal Communication: Foster clear communication between IT, management, and employees regarding security policies and best practices.

• External Liaison: For businesses that undergo audits or have client requests regarding security, managing communications with external auditors and clients is crucial.

By focusing on these areas, small and medium businesses can significantly enhance their cybersecurity posture, mitigate risks, and navigate compliance challenges effectively.

Governance Support

Assistance with cybersecurity governance and compliance frameworks.

Governance Support includes:

• Establishing and Assessing IT Security & Risk Governance Programs: We can help small and medium businesses (SMBs) assess their current IT security and risk posture and develop a comprehensive governance program. This includes identifying key risks, defining roles and responsibilities, and setting up a framework for ongoing monitoring and improvement.

• Compliance with Industry Regulations: For SMBs dealing with sensitive data, we can provide guidance on achieving compliance with relevant regulations. For instance, for healthcare-related SMBs, we have expertise in HIPAA and can assist in updating policies, procedures, and documentation to meet HITRUST certification requirements. For financial services SMBs, we are familiar with GLBA, FDICIA, and SOX 404 compliance.

• Implementing Security Frameworks and Policies: We can assist SMBs in implementing recognized security frameworks such as COBIT and COSO, tailoring them to the specific needs and resources of a smaller organization. We can also help develop and implement IT security policies, standards, and frameworks.

• Risk Management and Control Implementation: We can help SMBs identify, assess, and manage information security risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of sensitive data. This includes implementing appropriate security and privacy controls.

• Auditing and Remediation Support: We have extensive experience managing communications with external and internal auditors and can help SMBs prepare for and respond to audits. We can also assist in developing processes to document and monitor the remediation of vulnerabilities identified through internal and external scans.

• Incident Response Planning and Training: We have experience creating incident response training material, which is crucial for SMBs to effectively respond to cybersecurity incidents.

• System Development Life Cycle / Change Management: Expertise in SDLC and change management can help SMBs establish secure practices throughout the development and modification of their systems.

Work focused on the key areas of interest identified during the risk assessment phase. Such focus was key to ensuring projects were completed on time while appropriately addressing the key objectives.

Gary L.

★★★★★