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Why Intelligent Framework Mapping Is The New Harmony

When musical notes or voices come together to form a cohesive whole, you will find harmony. The same holds true for human action, whether its forming lasting relationships or establishing good business practices—harmony is what keeps people on the same page, singing from the same sheet of music, and united through a common interest or goal. In cybersecurity, harmony means finding new ways to blend our ideas into effective systems that not only protect our digital assets, but also establish a working culture of collaboration, unity, and well-balanced partnership. As we continue to design and build innovative strategies to keep our workflow on point, establishing harmony within ourselves and our digital processes should continually sit at the forefront of our efforts—because without it, there is only dissonance.

What does harmony have to do with security?

The answer is, everything. As we know, meeting the demand for simpler, more effective cybersecurity systems is a pivotal part of staying afloat in a fast-paced digital environment, especially if seeking to create highly-functioning frameworks. As the pace of the industry escalates, so does the reality of security fatigue and negligence, which means our success relies on the ability to establish strategies and systems that work congruently—it relies on finding sustainable, harmonious practices. And one of the best ways to bolster our security posture comes from “mapping” between cybersecurity frameworks, such as NIST, ISO, SOC 2, or CIS, that outline the most effective standards, guidelines, and practices in the industry. This approach ensures businesses are aligned with best practices and are prepared to fill any gaps in their defensive strategies using framework crosswalks that understand, communicate, and manage today’s security risks.

Organizations that use multiple frameworks to guide their security approach are indeed smart, but they are also burdened with unwieldy amounts of data and bulky, inefficient management processes. Working under the guidelines of even just two separate frameworks means two separate programs, two spreadsheets, two sets of compliance guidelines, and more than enough additional points of concern. And, providers looking to blend several frameworks together to enhance their security strategy are overwhelmed with even more oversight and inefficiency as they try to manage the unmanageable.

Welcome to Harmony…

Here to help with this challenge is Apptega’s new intelligent framework mapping, aptly known as Harmony. Harmony gives organizations a fresh approach to management and compliance by consolidating thousands of controls through a simple library of frameworks, all of which can be orchestrated to create a fully-customized and well-coordinated security program. Released in the Spring of 2019, Harmony offers organizations a revolutionary way to manage multiple cybersecurity frameworks and compliance requirements through innovative consolidation of all controls into one program. 

Customers combining the strength of two powerhouse frameworks like NIST and CIS face the management of 38 different controls and hundreds of sub-controls. But the intelligent framework mapping of Harmony knocks that number down to just 15 controls, resulting in 50% less data to think about. Organizations juggling four separate frameworks, such as GDPR, NIST, PCI, and SOC 2, are looking at some 72 different controls, which the Harmony map consolidates into just 18. In the business world, the convenience of such consolidation can’t be overstated, as it equates to more streamlined and efficient processes across the board, thereby saving organizations considerable time, money, and resources.

The benefits speak for themselves:

Mappable and fully interchangeable frameworks, including NIST CSF, CISv7, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST 800-171, NIST 800-53, NYDFS 500, PCI DSS, SEC, CCPA, and SOC2

EQUALS

More user flexibility.

Individual and mapped program reporting

EQUALS

Easier reporting on single frameworks.

Data replication of mapped frameworks

EQUALS

Sub-control changes happen automatically in all frameworks for scoring, tasks, assignments, notes, dates, vendors, etc.

Dominant sub-controls

EQUALS

System uses highest scoring sub-control to maximize the efficiency of the mapping process.

Uncoupling a mapped program

EQUALS

Users can view and manage frameworks together or independently.

Data persistence

EQUALS

No combined data is lost when standalone frameworks are uncoupled.

  

How can Harmony work for me?

With Apptega’s Harmony, designing your own program is easy. You just click through Apptega’s online library to choose the frameworks you need, and Harmony instantly builds a customized framework using the guidelines from each one. When certain guidelines overlap, they are automatically mapped and consolidated, which means your framework becomes “intelligent”—more efficient, more connected, and more alive. In 30 seconds, Harmony’s mapping engine will combine these elements to build the ideal framework for your organizational needs:

  • Application Security
  • Asset Management
  • Border Security
  • Log Management
  • Business Continuity
  • Apptega Harmony IconsData Security 
  • Endpoint Security 
  • Identity & Access Management
  • Key management & Cryptography 
  • HR Security & Training
  • Physical Security
  • Logging & Monitoring 
  • Risk Management 
  • Security Governance
  • Vendor Management
  • Vulnerability Management 
  • Configuration & Change Management
  • Wireless & Remote Administration 

The results are nothing short of game changing…

Harmony Screenshot

Not only does Harmony reduce the number of controls and simplify your program, it also offers detailed information on all areas of concern and combines the data into one digestible and manageable program guide. And when it’s time to report for any sort of compliance, whether it be ISO or SOC 2, all chosen frameworks can be easily uncoupled and viewed separately by auditors who are given a temporary login to your system. This comprehensively managed system offers companies a game changing new way to organize multiple frameworks without the headache of managing each one separately.

For more information on how Apptega’s Harmony can restore tranquility to your process, take a moment to schedule a one-on-one demo with our team of professionals who can help you intelligently map your way to a more harmonious future.


*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Apptega Blog authored by Apptega. Read the original post at: https://blog.apptega.com/framework-mapping-harmony