Compliance: Don’t let IT be yourAchilles’ Heelby Daniel Schneider
Compliance: Don’t let IT be your Achilles’ HeelBusiness Development Manager Hybrid IT Managed Services

Ensuring that your organization is compliant means managing everything you do and every technology
you use with a close eye on compliance rules and regulations. It’s a big task, says Fujitsu’s Business
Development Manager Hybrid IT Managed Services Daniel Schneider, and is best achieved with the rightpartner.
Referring to an ancient Greek myth might seem like a strange way to introduce the subject ofcompliance, but I’m not the first to do it. Far from it. If you look back, there are many references to thestory of Achilles’ Heel in all kinds of professional contexts, from legal papers to discussions on
construction, mining, and just about any other business. It’s an enduring myth because it warns us allthat there may be one thing – one tiny vulnerability – that could bring everything down.
When it comes to cloud, the story is instructive. The incredible volume of data that flows acrossnetworks – between employees, to and from customers, suppliers, partners, and different entitiespublic and private – has prompted governments and authorities everywhere to strictly regulate its
exchange, storage, and use. Europe’s GDPR is a prime example. It, like all the other similar regulations,can punish non-compliance with substantial fines. And financial pain is usually compounded byreputational damage. Together, they can be fatal to the health of any organization.
You can choose to see compliance as a chore and a cost, or just as a nuisance. Thankfully, not manyorganizations do. Most organizations are working to win and maintain the trust of their customersand employees as trust is the most important currency. It’s not that much sticking to the letters oflaw. And it’s not just data that’s at issue; how systems are used to move money from one place toanother and one person to another are also covered by a range of regulations to stamp out fraud,money-laundering, and bribery. Technology touches everything an organisation does: data, money,
and even health and safety.
Any gap in the system, any error (human or technical), any misuse of a technology or malicious
attack, can lead to a breach and a big headache for the entire organization. That’s why organizations
are focusing heavily on compliance. It’s a necessary investment in customer, partner, employee trust
and time consuming, but the cost of negative exposure, lawsuits, and fines could be catastrophic. Fearof compliance issues is, in some sectors, slowing the move to the cloud. The financial sector isespecially vulnerable. A recent report showed that the sector was hesitant about moving its data andpayment systems onto cloud platforms. Though it did reveal that there was a growing
understanding that a hybrid approach should be a preferred option. The use of cloud and cloud

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Compliance: Don’t let IT be your Achilles’ Heel

service providers [CSPs] offers a significant uplift in resilience and security compared to banks’ onpremises environments. 1
So, what’s the answer? Do you need to employ a team of compliance specialists to search every inch ofyour business for possible vulnerabilities (that vulnerable heel) and check every action to see if it
might just be in breach of any one of thousands of regulations? At Fujitsu, we don’t believe you needto do that. We have deep experience in not only ensuring our own compliance in accordance withrules and regulations of various states, but also taking this burden away from our customers.
Not properly used technology or technology used by inexperienced users might be the cause of many
vulnerabilities – but properly utilized technology by expert users is also the answer.
Fujitsu’s Cloud Management Service is all about the detail. We work closely with our customers’internal compliance teams to ensure that the right guidelines and guardrails are put in place acrosstheir systems and networks. Naturally, the responsibility for the compliance and security of the cloud
platforms they use lie with the providers, but we ensure that there’s a system-wide focus oncompliance that extends to every department, team, and technology across the entire ecosystem.
Paying attention to upgrades, patches, and how new technologies are integrated with existing ones, isvital. We manage all this. We do the things that seem mundane but might represent a significant
vulnerability if left undone. We set external guidelines to match your own. And we make good use ofAI to automate protection (with self-healing properties to ensure no gap is left unattended). Thatmeans you can focus on what you do best. Of course, nothing is 100% secure, but if every regulation isfollowed – and can be seen to be followed – then you can stay on top of compliance.
At Fujitsu, we believe that compliance is not a burden. It’s an investment and actually a key element inachieving resilience, agility and trust (see my other blogs). You can’t focus on innovation if you’realways looking over your shoulder, especially at a time when cybercrime is rising fast. Enabling yourdata to flow freely and securely and in complete compliance with ever changing global regulations
frees your people. They can do great and new things to delight your customers and stakeholders. We
can’t promise immortality, but we can ensure there’s less chance you’ll suffer from an Achilles’ heel.
Find more information about Fujitsu’s Cloud Management Service here.

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https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252507100/Regulator-concerns-about-resilience-and-security-could-slow-cloudadoption-in-financial-services
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