{"id":68551,"date":"2023-02-24T10:24:43","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T15:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/?p=68551"},"modified":"2024-08-15T16:28:33","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T20:28:33","slug":"it-governance-vs-compliance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/it-governance-vs-compliance","title":{"rendered":"IT Governance vs. Compliance: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The line between IT governance and compliance<\/a> can easily become blurred as organizations grow and increase in operational complexity. Although both strategies are designed to protect the organization from the same risks, there are some key differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this post, you\u2019ll learn more about IT governance vs. compliance and how companies can combine them to enhance organizational security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n IT governance is an integral element of a Governance, Risk (Management), and Compliance (GRC) system that organizations can leverage to improve the management of their IT infrastructures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It ensures that IT investments support the organization\u2019s core business objectives by effectively managing IT risks. By adhering to a formal framework, companies can generate measurable output toward achieving their objectives and goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The need for IT governance practices is primarily fueled by the enactment of various laws and regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which were passed in response to several high-profile deception cases and corporate frauds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are three primary objectives of an IT governance program:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The easiest way to implement an IT governance structure is to start with a standard that various industry experts use. Some of the IT governance frameworks that you can leverage include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a comprehensive IT governance framework published by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)<\/a>. It sets and develops controls<\/a> that organizations can use to achieve better governance, security, and auditing of their IT infrastructures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ITIL<\/a> is a framework for IT service management that companies can leverage to ensure that their IT services support core business processes. To achieve this goal, ITIL defines five management best practices, including service strategy, design, transition, operation, and continuous service improvement, that organizations must adhere to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This model provides a framework organizations can use to evaluate their internal controls. Unlike other IT governance frameworks such as COBIT or ITIL that focus on IT aspects, COSO<\/a> concentrates on business elements such as fraud deterrence and enterprise risk management (ERM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n IT compliance is a set of guidelines an organization must adhere to in order to ensure its business processes are secure. Each guideline within the IT compliance framework defines rules for data, digital communication, and IT infrastructure. The primary objective of IT compliance is to ensure that the company meets the security and privacy of certain countries, markets, and customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, certain countries have enforced strict privacy laws like the European Union\u2019s GDPR and California\u2019s Privacy Act, i.e., California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). At the same time, some markets, such as healthcare and finance, are heavily regulated. Some customers may also demand that the organization complies with unique privacy or confidential standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Each IT compliance standard has its own requirements. However, many of the regulations today have overlapping needs. For example, while the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects healthcare data and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) secures financial data, both have similar controls for data storage, encryption, and authorization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\nWhat Is Governance in IT?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
IT Service Management (ITIL)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Is Compliance in IT?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n