The Winding Road to Compliance

“Here are the keys. Buy milk and bread. Drive safely.”

These are important instructions for a new driver tasked with running an errand. But unless the driver knows where they are going, a bit of guidance on how to get to the store can only help. Without it, the driver may complete the errand successfully, or at least make a good effort; but they might not complete the errand or be inefficient in the attempt.

For IT and security teams, aiming for compliance feels eerily similar to running errands without
direction.

Like the driver, these users want to accomplish the task at hand (in this case, regulatory
compliance) but are often stymied by the ambiguity or lack of direction on how to do so. Often,
compliance standards define the ultimate objectives, but give organizations the flexibility to determine
for themselves the path they take to get there.

Consequently, some users experience the equivalent of making three left turns when they didn’t know they could have just made a right.

Navigating by the stars

Freedom to define your own path has some benefits, of course. So, how do you reach the goal
efficiently to optimally protect your organization against breaches?

If you’re working through this question, you’re not alone. In fact, data from earlier this year suggests more cybersecurity decision-makers are focused on ensuring governance and compliance standards are met (56%), topping the list of priority projects during the first quarter of 2022.

It’s no secret that complying with leading standards in your industry protects your business in several
ways – some more obvious than others.

Immediately, there is the imperative protection for corporate data, personally identifiable information (PII), intellectual property, etc., and mandatory compliance with these protections to operate in certain industries or countries. Then there are the expanded values gained from compliance, such as assurances you can provide to executives and Boards about the organization’s cybersecurity posture, or your improved stance for cyber insurance.

Overriding all of these benefits is the primary reason compliance programs exist: to increase organizations’ level of prevention against an attack (akin to the “drive safely” instruction to a new driver).

Help along the journey

With the freedom to choose how you meet compliance requirements, a navigator who is easy to travel
with and able to help guide you efficiently can be the best kind of travel companion. You need a solution
partner who can help you check off some of those distance-markers along the compliance highway.

Malwarebytes EDR includes essential threat prevention capabilities to keep nefarious actors from
entering your environment.

These are complimented by threat detection and remediation tools to help you identify threats that get past the gate, so your IT or security team can respond effectively and efficiently. The platform aligns nicely with NIST and ENISA attack response frameworks, which include guidelines for best practices that help you achieve compliance.

Compliance may not be the pinnacle of your journey, either; perhaps your organization’s focus is
reinforcing specific attack surfaces. In cases like these, the value of an expandable, cloud-based platform becomes apparent.

Malwarebytes EDR is built to run in our Nebula cloud platform, which empowers you to easily add
modules that fortify specific vectors. For example, adding our Vulnerability Assessment and Patch
Management (VPM) modules to your Malwarebytes EDR deployment helps protect against software exploits.

Connecting our DNS Filtering module yields greater control over internet browsing and content
access, providing end users a safer, more secure web experience. In addition to their inherent enhanced
protection value, these modules help businesses with specific HIPAA, PCI and GDPR compliance criteria,
and public sector entities meet additional requirements of CJIS compliance, for example.