You know that as your company grows, your approach to Compliance needs to mature.
You also know that in order to mature, you need a strong Compliance team.
Annnd, you also know that an important part of reaching maturity means getting leadership’s backing.
Maybe you know this because you're lucky enough to work in an environment where Security Compliance is valued and leadership is on board. Or maybe you know this because you have experienced the frustrations of trying to mature your processes without the backing of leadership. It’s like trying to plug a crater-sized hole with a bottle cap. It. Just. Isn't. Gonna. Work.
The Long View: People + Leadership Perception
It probably comes as no surprise, but in order to grow, you need backing, you need support. It’s no use trying to be all that you can be if you can't secure funding, no one takes your department seriously, and the leadership perceives Compliance as little more than a business blocker. That’s why you need to step in and take the reins.
This is your ship, and you’re the captain.
How to Get Your People and Leadership Aligned to Reach Optimal Maturity
With this understanding in mind, in this blog, we'll present to you a framework (yes, pun intended) to help guide you along the path to getting your people, your leadership, and ultimately your Compliance maturity, aligned.
In the initial stage of Compliance maturity, the company might be a startup or a far more established company with just on-premises services and no Compliance automation. Your leadership is most likely in the dark regarding the importance of Security Compliance and achieving Compliance maturity; they have heard of certain major frameworks and they understand that if they want to close deals, they’ll need to comply with one/some/all of these. But they FOR SURE don’t recognize how much work goes into preparing for and achieving a successful audit.
- How can you improve the situation? By becoming the advocate of Compliance. Get leadership on board. Not easy, but necessary. You’re likely using manual tools and screenshots to document procedures—which are OK for now. But as your Compliance Maturity level increases, you’ll opt for data-oriented tools that help your company meet Compliance needs and bring value to the company. This will help leadership recognize the value of investing in Compliance.
As you move onward and upward, you have one Security leader, perhaps a CISO. Consultants help you understand your Compliance requirements. Leadership is probably still not convinced of the value of focusing on Compliance. Their view remains: Compliance is an annual, check-box procedure not deserving of much time, effort, or budget.
- To move up, start to establish that, actually, Compliance is more than an annual, check-box procedure and should be recognized as an important, recurring yearly task that will examine (and improve) Security processes the whole year, every year. The initial investment will be more than offset by money and resources saved, and the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll benefit.
Eventually (hopefully, anyway) you get to the stage where you have a dedicated function for Compliance. Leadership is also growing more mature, and now recognizes the strong correlation between adopting Compliance frameworks, solidifying trust with customers, and growth.
- Here is the place to start demonstrating the tremendous benefits of continuous Compliance as a competitive advantage and a vehicle to impress prospects. Show leadership how automating processes saves time and resources.
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The next level involves having a GRC team to lead Compliance activities. In terms of leadership, Compliance is now a core interest across the business and leadership understands how Compliance saves money and builds reputation.
- This is the perfect opportunity to show leadership how to leverage Compliance to boost the company’s image in the public eye. Talk about how to use Compliance posture as a tool to win contracts with, for example, federal agencies and other highly sensitive prospects.
And finally, at the most advanced level of maturity, Compliance is integrated into the DNA of the company. There is a full GRC team and a robust Internal Audit team. Leadership is now fully engaged; they view Compliance as a mission-critical activity. GRC leaders, therefore, have the full attention of the C-suite and leadership consults GRC before embarking on any course that could affect Compliance issues. You made this happen – YOU ROCK!
The Right Combo Drives Compliance Maturity
Growing the human element of your Compliance Team requires the right level of expertise and enough people to cover your team’s increasingly complex Compliance responsibilities. How do you bring leadership along for the ride? By proving, at every step, that the growth of your team is necessary for the growth of the company. Not only because you're saving the company from Compliance failures, but because you're using Compliance to help your company learn more about how it functions and what it could be doing better -- and moreover, you're leveraging Compliance to drive growth.
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Want to learn more about how to reach optimal compliance maturity? Download the Complete Security Compliance Maturity Model eBook where you’ll learn how to:
- Learn the 5 categories that contribute to compliance maturity
- Understand your current Compliance maturity
- Level up for optimal posture
- And so much more
Get ready to start working towards Compliance maturity!
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