Transforming compliance into a strategic advantage for public sector security

The public sector faces unique challenges in cybersecurity regulations, which are abundant. But what if they could be used for more than just compliance? Kristin Del Rosso, field CTO, public sector at Sophos, explores cybersecurity challenges and opportunities for the public sector in a new discussion with StateScoop.

Del Rosso discusses the potential of compliance mandates to enhance security beyond mere box-checking. A deeper examination of the compliance criteria is key, recognizing that each business confronts a unique threat landscape. Whether a healthcare organization faces greater risks of ransomware attacks than an energy firm, “understanding the specific threats to your sector is critical.” Compliance efforts span various domains, from access control to incident response, necessitating a strategic alignment with your organization’s risk profile and potential threat vectors.

“There are a lot of regulations, and it can be hard to stay on top of them. So [I recommend] either staying on top of it yourself or finding trusted partners, chat groups or community groups to talk with to see how people are complying or planning to comply with regulations,” says Del Rosso.

When asked about agencies’ limited resources, she highlights free threat intelligence resources like CISA’s. “There’s a variety of threat intelligence, and depending on the maturity of your organization, you may or may not already have threat intelligence teams…if you don’t, that’s where a managed detection and response service can come in handy to help make up the most of the IT team and security staff so they can focus on true like business enablement and proper security while leveraging security professionals at another organization to monitor and investigate and respond to different alerts around the clock.”

Del Rosso also urges leaders to prepare for worst-case scenarios and have an incident response plan and stresses the importance of risk management and preparation to minimize the impact of cybersecurity incidents.

Learn more about transforming compliance into a strategic advantage for public sector security.