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Which Security Controls Will Work Best for My Business?

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Modern organizations partner with vendors for many different reasons. From team communications tools to hardware and software services to cloud-based file sharing platforms, there thousands of different kinds of vendor partnerships out there. It falls to InfoSec teams to determine the right way to assess, grade, and guard against potential security threats these vendors will pose throughout their lifetime relationship with an organization.

Why security controls matter

The safeguards and security measures put in place by InfoSec teams are collectively referred to as security controls. While all of your vendors may vary, your organization should have a clear set of security controls in place that your internal team, executive stakeholders, potential vendors, and customers can refer back to for understanding around your organization’s overall security posture. A company’s security posture can impact everything from new business to an organization’s reputation in the industry.

Tips for finding the right security controls for your organization

With so much riding on your team’s security controls, finding the right controls to work for your unique vendors and business objectives is critical. Here are a few tips to deciding which security controls are right for your organization:

1. Review your industry-specific standards

Many times, if your team works in a high-risk industry like finance or healthcare, your team will already have some industry-specific security controls to include in any risk assessment or vendor questionnaire. These controls include everything from HIPAA and PCI to industry-specific questionnaires like HECVAT.

2. Run an audit of your internal corporate security processes

A great starting point for determining your organization’s security controls is to look at your internal processes. Does your office have a key-card entry or any other type of physical security? How does your team access secure networks? Who has access to what information internally? Understanding these safeguards key internal processes can help ensure your security controls address all facets of vendor risk management, not just the digital ones.

3. Build your security controls with scalability in mind

As your team starts to form an idea of the right security controls for your organization, make sure they are scalable and flexible. All modern corporations, regardless of industry, will become even more reliant on vendor data sharing and risk mitigation down the road as information becomes more widespread. Making security control decisions early on with scalability and growth in mind is a good way to prepare your InfoSec strategy for long-term success.

Optimize your security posture with Whistic

Whistic vendor risk management allows InfoSec teams of all sizes and industries to organize, manage, and optimize their vendor security protocols for a more streamlined, compliant risk strategy.

Whether your team is building a risk management strategy from scratch or looking to optimize security controls already in place, Whistic can help you stay secure. You can learn more here.

Information Security