How do you navigate global security standards?

1 Why do you need global security standards?

Global security standards are not only beneficial, but often mandatory for organizations that operate across different regions, markets, and industries. They help you align your security policies, procedures, and controls with the expectations and requirements of your customers, partners, regulators, and auditors. They also help you demonstrate your commitment to security, gain a competitive edge, and enhance your reputation and trustworthiness. Moreover, they provide you with a framework for assessing and improving your security performance, identifying and mitigating your vulnerabilities, and responding to and recovering from incidents.

2 What are the main types of global security standards?

There are many different types of global security standards, but they can be broadly classified into three categories: frameworks, models, and certifications. Frameworks are comprehensive and flexible sets of guidelines that help you design, implement, and manage your security program. They cover various domains, such as governance, risk management, asset management, access control, incident management, and business continuity. Examples of frameworks include ISO/IEC 27000 series, NIST Cybersecurity Framework, and COBIT. Models are more specific and prescriptive sets of requirements that help you measure and improve your security maturity. They focus on certain aspects or processes of security, such as software development, service management, or audit. Examples of models include CMMI, ITIL, and ISACA. Certifications are formal and independent validations of your compliance with a certain standard or regulation. They require you to undergo an audit by a third-party organization and demonstrate that you meet the criteria and objectives of the standard or regulation. Examples of certifications include ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

3 How do you select the right global security standards for your organization?

Selecting the right global security standards for your organization depends on several factors, such as your business goals, your industry sector, your geographic location, your customer base, your legal and regulatory obligations, your risk appetite, your budget, and your resources. You should conduct a thorough analysis of your internal and external environment, identify your security needs and gaps, and prioritize your security objectives. You should also research the available standards and frameworks, compare their benefits and drawbacks, and evaluate their suitability and feasibility for your organization. You should consult with your stakeholders, such as senior management, legal counsel, security team, and business units, and seek their input and buy-in. You should also consider the potential impact of the standards on your operations, processes, and culture, and plan for the necessary changes and adaptations.

4 How do you implement global security standards in your organization?

Implementing global security standards in your organization requires a systematic and structured approach, as well as a continuous and iterative process. Generally, you should define the scope and boundaries of your security program, establish roles and responsibilities, develop and document security policies, procedures, and controls, deploy and configure security technologies, tools, and systems, educate and train staff and users on security policies, procedures, and controls, monitor and measure security performance using metrics, indicators, and reports, audit and review security program and standards compliance with internal and external assessments, identify any issues or gaps, improve and update security program with feedback, lessons learned, best practices, and implement corrective or preventive actions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?