Resources for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Compliance Provides Benefits Beyond The Obvious

www.informationweek.com

n the last five years, companies have been tasked with addressing the numerous provisions that stem from an increase in compliance demands. In the areas of security and privacy, daunting legislation such as HIPAA, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, as well as federal and state requirements, have required extensive assessments of business practices. Typically, businesses see the primary benefit of compliance as avoiding fines and penalties. But from an IT standpoint, there are intrinsic benefits to compliance for an organization's operations.

Recent requirements place a stronger business focus on the acquisition and implementation of security controls. Consumers are expressing growing concern over the security of their personal information, and companies that increase security through compliance activities can sometimes gain a competitive edge. The privacy aspects of compliance call for proper and effective security controls. Privacy clarifies what needs to be protected, and a supporting risk assessment helps determine the appropriate level of security controls. This is particularly critical as the security perimeter now extends to mobile laptops and PDAs. With many data breaches caused by ignorance or a lack of policy, compliance can be used to increase awareness of and attention to data protection requirements and practices.

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