How to Adhere to Security Compliance?

Manuel Aparicio

—

Strategy

Updated:

11/25/25

Posted: 5/13/25

Collecting and managing data is key for businesses to make data-driven decisions.

In fact, by using data, you can meet business goals by up to 2.6 times!

As you can see, data holds great power. But, just as in the MCU, with great power comes great responsibility.

Data collection should ensure strong security compliance to protect users' privacy and industry standards.

What is security compliance? How to meet regulatory requirements when collecting data? Let’s find out!

What is Security Compliance?

Security compliance involves practices, controls and policies to follow data regulatory standards in business processes.

Achieving regulatory compliance is a proactive approach to keep up with constantly evolving regulations. But it surely pays off!

Security compliance programs can reduce risk exposure related to security breaches and cybersecurity incidents.

Also, compliance can minimize operational inefficiencies by establishing clear, standardized approaches that support more reliable business operations.

When it comes to streamlining processes, compliance often requires thorough documentation and regular audits.

Naturally, these audits can expose security gaps and outdated practices.

Organizations can then implement thorough compliance audits and tests to ensure adherence to compliance and security standards.

Steps to Ensure Security Compliance

1. Plan

Design and implement a risk assessment plan to identify potential risks in your security system.

Knowing your weaknesses can help you improve compliance efforts before potential threats even arise.

A regular risk assessment plan should consider the type of data your business handles, where it is stored and who has access to it.

It's also critical to consider mechanisms that prevent unauthorized access to data.

2. Establish

Establish security controls to prevent, identify and correct potential issues.

Technical controls cover network access controls, data encryption and key management.

As companies expand their partner ecosystem, these controls also need to extend across external teams, vendors and client-facing systems.

That’s why many organizations introduce business-to-business identity and access management, which centralizes how partners authenticate, what resources they can reach, and how access is monitored over time.

These should also include system patch schedule, maintenance and incident response plans.

You can also think about automating security controls to streamline adherence to industry regulations and avoid severe repercussions.

3. Train

Businesses should train their collaborators so everyone understands their roles in achieving compliance.

Regular training can include courses, workshops, awareness programs, video tutorials and assessments.

These are great for evaluating their understanding and reinforcing security practices.

It's also key to promote and encourage a strong company culture of compliance, ensuring security teams follow secure practices.

What is Cloud Security Compliance?

Around 96% of businesses use cloud environments, and 50% of them use public cloud services to store their workloads.

Not surprisingly, authorities have introduced laws and frameworks to promote comprehensive security strategies.

Cloud compliance regulation is about following those standards and practices that regulate the usage of these environments.

Continuous monitoring and protecting IT cloud infrastructures’ data with adequate access controls and end-to-end data encryption.

In this context, it's vital to stay updated with the latest regulatory requirements, streamline reporting and automate compliance processes.

6 Security Compliance Laws and Standards

1. ISO/IEC 27001

ISO 27001 is an international standard for cybersecurity compliance and Information Security Management Systems (ISMS).

In simple terms, an ISMS manages sensitive information, encompassing employees, processes and IT systems.

ISO 27001 states that a robust ISMS is essential for identifying, managing and reducing security risks.

2. System and Organization Controls (SOC)

SOC is a security compliance framework and certification developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

The SOC framework is based on five Trust Services Criteria (TSC): security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.

3. The US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA is a federal regulatory standard that governs the use of health data in the US.

The HIPAA protects individuals' medical records and health information, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity and availability.

4. NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CF)

NIST stands for National Institute of Standards and Technology— a government agency that guides cybersecurity risk management.

5. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

GDPR is a privacy and security law approved by the EU. It's one of the strongest in the world!

6. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)

The PCI DSS is the global collection of security standards for all companies that process online payments.

Why is Security Compliance Important?

Beyond legal requirements, security compliance is essential for preventing the loss of customer trust and protecting your business reputation.