Canadian businesses like yours must comply with a wide variety of data security regulations, especially if they service customers outside of the country. Whether you’re in healthcare, finance, retail, or professional services, the rules around collecting, storing, and processing personal information are becoming more stringent as cyberattacks evolve.
The EU and US have their own laws that businesses operating there must comply with, and Canada has its own as well, so you may be responsible for complying with a half-dozen cybersecurity laws or more. A managed IT services provider (MSP) can help you get a handle on these requirements and ensure you meet these standards efficiently and confidently.
Understanding Canadian data security regulations
Businesses in Canada must comply with various laws and frameworks depending on their industry and location. The most common include:
- PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) – This law applies to most private-sector organizations across Canada.
- Provincial privacy laws – Certain provinces, such as British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, have their own private-sector privacy laws that meet or exceed PIPEDA’s requirements.
- PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act) – This law governs personal health information in Ontario.
- PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) – This is a set of security standard that applies to any business handling credit card transactions.
- HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) – Canadian businesses must comply with this law if they serve US patients.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) – Any business handling EU citizen personal information must comply with this law.
The internet has no political borders. So, even if you are located in Canada, if you collect, store, and transmit personal information from people in other jurisdictions, you are beholden to that jurisdiction's data security laws. Private information includes sensitive data such as health records and credit card numbers, but it also can be as simple as an email address.
How an MSP supports compliance efforts for your Canadian business
Managed IT services providers offer the two things required for maintaining compliance: expertise and technology. To prevent a costly compliance penalty, you need to understand the laws and how to comply with them, and you must implement as well as maintain the data security technologies required by law.
You may not have access to these things, but MSPs are focused exclusively on business technology, so they can provide the cybersecurity services and implement the technologies you need to achieve and maintain compliance with a broad range of laws and regulations.
Risk assessments and gap analysis
MSPs start by reviewing your current IT environment and identifying where you fall short of regulatory requirements. This often includes assessing your data storage practices, access controls, and network security measures. They then provide a plan to close those gaps.
Continuous monitoring and incident response
Regulations such as PIPEDA and PHIPA require you to take proactive measures to protect data. MSPs help you fulfill this requirement by deploying monitoring tools that watch for suspicious activity 24/7. If an incident occurs, their technicians have established procedures to respond quickly, contain the issue, and document actions for compliance reporting.
Secure data storage and encryption
An MSP can implement encryption, secure backups, and data loss prevention tools to satisfy the many and varied data storage requirements set forth by Canadian and international laws. This ensures that even if you experience a data breach, the MSP can mitigate the damage and prevent a compliance penalty being added to your problems.
Training and policy development
Human error is one of the leading causes of both data breaches and compliance infractions. Your workforce needs to know what data security regulations expect of them, how to utilize the cybersecurity tools required for compliance, how to properly handle sensitive data, and how to properly report compliance-related activities.
MSPs offer targeted training that helps your team meet compliance requirements and improve overall cybersecurity awareness, reducing the risk of both cyberattacks and regulatory issues.
Audit preparation and documentation
Should you face a compliance audit, an MSP ensures that your security controls, logs, and processes are in place and well documented. This preparation not only streamlines the audit but also demonstrates your commitment to protecting customer data, preventing expensive penalties and mandatory remediation efforts.
Not sure which regulations your Canadian business is required to comply with? Contact XBASE, and our data security consultants will provide a roadmap that explains everything you need to do to achieve and maintain compliance.