Understanding the full scope and interdependency of risk in today's complex and distributed business environment is important for achieving compliance with governmental mandates and industry regulations. However, many companies have a limited perception of risk and still struggle making compliance an enterprise-wide, integrated process.

Compliance today must include processes for business alignment, performance management and IT risk management across the organization. Compliance is no longer a one-time, isolated project; it's an ongoing effort. Older methods of keeping data and the network secure -- firewalls, intrusion detection, encryption and patches -- are no longer sufficient to meet compliance requirements. Because of the complexity and sophistication of today's variety of security breeches, companies need a broader information assurance approach, a more holistic framework that addresses security, availability and compliance. Unfortunately, homegrown security and risk prevention solutions for still dominate IT process methodologies in most organizations, and they're simply not enough. The most effective compliance programs employ a high degree of automation and focus on policies, people, processes and technology.

This paper discusses the challenges faced by today's IT departments and outlines ten steps for successful compliance. You'll learn what your organization can do to protect information and comply with regulations, while enhancing business performance.