Why Compliance is Relevant for Everyone

 

Regulatory compliance is the act of adhering to laws, regulations, standards or guidelines relevant to a particular business. High-profile examples of such laws are the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX).

 Since violations of regulations often result in legal action or fines, many organizations have responded to these laws by hiring regulatory compliance officers to manage the process. Smaller businesses may not have this option, but it's important for owners to fully comprehend the role that regulatory compliance plays in their organizations.

According to Russell Kommer, CEO of Microsoft support services firm eSoftware Associates, this is true even if a company is not in a traditionally regulated industry. 

“Not understanding how regulatory compliance and its applications could cause either long- or short-term issues with the potential to derail your business," he says.

Michael Fellows, CEO of software development firm Broadway Lab, offers an example. “Acquiring customer trust should be every business's main focus," he says. “Regulations are there to protect the customer in many cases. A failure to comply can result in financial loss due to legal repercussions like fines, but also from customers choosing more trustworthy alternatives."

Creating Your Regulatory Compliance Strategy

Regulatory compliance strategies should include:

• how your organization will address relevant standards from an operational perspective;
• how you will establish or modify corresponding processes; and 
• how effective risk mitigation and overall compliance success will be measured

For more where this came from, check out the AMEX OPENForum.