CompTIA SecurityX (CAS-005)Governance, Risk and ComplianceHard
A global financial institution is expanding its operations into several new countries. As part of its governance strategy, the institution must ensure compliance with a multitude of international data protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and emerging regulations in Asia and South America. To achieve this, the institution decides to adopt a common set of security policies and controls that meet the highest standards across all applicable regulations, rather than tailoring them individually for each region. Which compliance strategy is being employed?
- ABaseline Compliance
- BLocalized Compliance
- CHarmonized Compliance
- DAd-hoc Compliance
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Harmonized Compliance
Harmonized compliance involves establishing a single, overarching set of policies and controls that satisfy the most stringent requirements across multiple regulations. This approach simplifies management and reduces overhead compared to tailoring controls for each individual regulation, making it ideal for organizations operating globally with diverse compliance obligations.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Baseline compliance often refers to meeting minimum security standards, which may not be sufficient for the 'highest standards across all applicable regulations' as described.
- B. Localized compliance would involve tailoring policies and controls specifically for each region, which is the opposite of the strategy described.
- D. Ad-hoc compliance implies a disorganized, reactive approach without a structured strategy.
Harmonized Compliance
A compliance strategy where an organization adopts a single, unified set of policies, controls, and processes that satisfy the most stringent requirements across multiple applicable regulations and standards simultaneously.
- Meets multiple regulations with one set of controls.
- Based on the highest common denominator of requirements.
- Simplifies compliance management for global entities.
Memory trick: H-A-L-B: Harmonize, Ad-hoc, Localize, Baseline.