How Renting Firewalls and Access Points Keep You Compliant in a Regulated Industry
Charged with an increasing demand for regulatory compliance, businesses in most instances will find themselves in competitive markets at best while fields such as the Healthcare, Finance, or Government sectors must also keep up to date on changing policies and legislation requirements. A great option is renting firewalls and access points, not only for flexibility but to also comply with the security policy. This blog explains how two leading OSAM solutions providers are offering to rent these critical network elements to help businesses meet new regulatory demands.
Responsibilities for Network Security are Regulated on Businesses
Businesses operating in regulated industries are often governed by a variety of regulatory frameworks requiring strong cybersecurity practices. The following is an overview of the most important regulations:
- Healthcare: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires covered entities to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information. Installing firewalls helps to regulate the passage of data.
- Finance: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requires financial organizations to protect cardholder data using network security controls such as firewalls.
- Government: FISMA, the Federal Information Security Management Act, mandates that government agencies secure sensitive government information systems. These tactics include the use of access controls and monitoring solutions.
Legal compliance is an issue of paramount importance to any organization in these industries, as they deal with sensitive data. This can lead to large fines, reputational harm, and operational downtime in case of breaches.
How Leasing Firewalls and Access Points Helps with Compliance
There are a couple of benefits for companies trying to maintain compliance standards by renting network security equipment, like firewalls and access points:
- Cost-Effective: Buying top-of-the-line security hardware can mean a significant capital expense, which is just not feasible for all. Renting provides a cheaper solution that allows businesses to take advantage of advanced technology without a large initial outlay.
- Flexibility: With the rapid pace of technology and changing compliance standards, maintaining relevancy can be challenging. Renting equipment from suppliers offers businesses the opportunity to upgrade their technology where necessary to comply with the latest security standards without the expense associated with replacing outdated infrastructure.
- Scalability: As businesses grow, so do their network security requirements. Renting reduces the difficulty of compliance, allowing businesses to scale up or down their network security services without making a large capital expense.
- Professional Support: Leasing agreements typically come with professional support to ensure that the rented equipment is installed, maintained properly, and performs up to its standards. This service level helps organizations stay compliant through correct configuration and management.
- Rapid Deployment: Renting can sometimes enable much quicker deployments, allowing for the implementation of core security features required for compliance, bypassing lengthy procurement processes.
Fortinet Compliance Features
The choice of rental solutions should be with recognized providers such as Fortinet, known for a large number of features and a focus on compliance. Here are some of the top Fortinet features that support compliance:
- Anti-malware Protection: Fortinet firewalls and access points offer robust anti-malware capabilities, including intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and antivirus. These functions allow the timely detection and prevention of potential threats, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
- Secure Access Controls: Fortinet solutions provide strong user and device access controls. Two-factor authentication and user-based access policies ensure that only authorized individuals access sensitive information, which is vital for compliance in regulated industries.
- Comprehensive Reporting and Analytics: Benefit from detailed reporting and analytics, which are crucial for assisting compliance with regulatory audits. Fortinet’s solutions enhance transparency and accountability in network security compliance by generating logs and reports.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN) Capabilities: Fortinet offers various VPN options to provide secure remote access to the network, an essential feature for remote work. VPNs ensure that data is encrypted, preventing interception.
- Centralized Management: Fortinet offers centralized management interfaces that streamline the administration of network security policies across multiple locations. By centralizing, organizations can ensure consistency and compliance.
Conclusion: Adhere to Regulations via Rentals
If your business operates in a regulated industry, meeting cybersecurity regulations is crucial. Renting firewalls and access points is a strategic option, providing flexibility, cost savings, and access to state-of-the-art equipment. This approach allows for scalability and alignment with changing rules without the burden of purchasing outdated technology.
By leveraging rental solutions and providers like Fortinet with compliance-specific features, organizations can secure their sensitive data efficiently to meet all regulatory needs, allowing them to focus on core operations instead of getting bogged down in security complexities.
Conclusion
Renting firewalls and access points is not only an operational solution for industries like Healthcare, Finance, and Government to meet compliance standards, but also a business system that supports expansion, innovation, and security sustainability in an ever-changing threat landscape.