Compliance Crosswalk: Recent Episodes

Arti Lalwani and Blaise Wabo

Cybersecurity and data privacy is a requirement for any good business. So how can a CISO, CTO or compliance manager stay on top of where the industry is heading? Infosec veterans and former lead auditors, Arti Lalwani and Blaise Wabo discuss the intersection of security, privacy and compliance. Topics will include: Guest interviews with industry experts, framework updates, the business implications of compliance (and non-compliance), and discussions about compliance challenges, tips and tricks.

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Join our host Blaise Wabo and guest Morvareed Z. Salehpour, Managing Partner of Salehpour Legal, as they delve into the constantly evolving legalities of generative artificial intelligence (AI). During the discussion, Blaise and Morvareed discuss the technical, legal, and privacy risks and challenges around generative AI that many organizations should be aware of, as well as recently passed laws and regulations around safe AI use. Listen to the episode to learn more about how your business can leverage this popular new technology while keeping your data safe.

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Join hosts Giles House and Abby Rodrigues along with their guest Mark Petry, Cyber Compliance and Risk Manager at GoodLeap, as they lend valuable insights about the importance of building a culture of security. Listen to learn why more organizations should phase out rubber stamp reports, seek high-quality audits, and position compliance as a value proposition for their business.

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Join host Blaise Wabo and guest Alberto España, CEO of Solver 4, as they discuss the evolving cybersecurity landscape in Latin America, Mexico, and Spain. Gain insights into the current threat landscape, the impact of COVID-19, and the future of cybersecurity and compliance in these regions. Listen as Alberto shares the struggles of competing against US vendors, the rising costs of resources, and the scarcity of qualified cybersecurity talents, spotlighting how remote work during the pandemic has added to the complexity.

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In this episode of the Compliance Crosswalk podcast, your host Blaise Wabo is joined by Jacques Antikadjian, the co-founder and chief security officer at Xano. Join them as they discuss connecting the dots between compliance and security. They emphasize the importance of integrating security and compliance measures to effectively manage risk. They also mention the evolution of security and privacy compliance frameworks and the need to bridge the gap between evolving threats and existing standards and frameworks. Jacques offers tips to cyber-security leaders on ways they can elevate their organizations' security posture.

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In this episode of the Compliance Crosswalk podcast, your host Blaise Wabo is joined by his good friend and compliance expert, Patrick Sullivan, to dive deep into the Alliance 2023 Compliance Benchmark Survey. Join Blaise and Patrick as they share key insights and discuss the implications of the survey results on compliance strategies in today's ever-changing landscape. They shed light on how compliance is evolving from being a mere checkbox exercise to becoming a value driver in organizations. Whether you're a compliance professional, a business leader, or simply interested in understanding the role of compliance in organizations, this episode will provide valuable insights to enhance your understanding of this critical domain.

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On this episode of the Compliance Crosswalk Podcast, Blaise Wabo engages in an enlightening conversation with former COO of Tulane Medical Center, Andre Duplessis. This episode zeroes in on the harrowing experience faced by Tulane Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Duplessis reflects upon the importance of business continuity planning, disaster recovery, and the unforeseen complications when the real world interacts with theoretical planning. He emphasizes the need for an agile and dynamic approach in overcoming unforeseen circumstances while maintaining a relentless commitment to patient safety.

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After repeatedly falling victim to identity thieves through SIM swap attacks, a telecom engineer and entrepreneur, Haseeb Awan, decided to start his own carrier with security as its top priority. Today, Haseeb is the founder and CEO of EFANI Secure Mobile, a private cell phone service provider catering to individuals and organizations that need extra security.

On this episode of the Compliance Crosswalk Podcast, A-LIGN's Blaise Wabo and Haseeb Awan talk about the many security vulnerabilities associated with one's phone and cell service—and offer tips on how to further secure your identity.

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With a new digital landscape brought on by the pandemic, a war in Ukraine, increasingly sophisticated threat actors,  artificial intelligence,  and now a potential recession, the nature of how organizations are breached has fundamentally changed. No company is too small to be attacked; making a single breach can be enough to put one out of business.

In this episode of Compliance Crosswalk, our host Blaise Wabo welcomes Taiye Lambo, founder of the Holistic Information Security Practitioner Institute (HISPI) and serial entrepreneur, to discuss the current state of the cybersecurity landscape in the context of recent history and how organizations can prepare for what's next. 

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In the final installment of this five-part series, Blaise Wabo welcomes A-LIGN's Federal Practice Lead, Tony Bai, and HITRUST Associate Director, Shreesh Bhattarai, for a deep dive into the intricacies of HITRUST, HIPAA, & Federal certifications.

Together they discuss updates to the NIST 800-171 and how that affects the various government certifications (FedRAMP, CMMC, StateRAMP, FISMA), and what companies should be doing now to remain compliant. They also review the many HITRUST Assessments (including the new e1 assessment) and how they can help achieve HIPAA compliance.

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In the latest installment of this five-part series, Blaise Wabo welcomes A-LIGN's PCI Lead, Dustin Rich, and Technical Knowledge Leader and Research and Development Director, Joe Cortese, for a deep dive into the intricacies of PCI, Penetration tests, and Vulnerability Scans. 

Together they discuss new updates related to the new PCI 4.0 and the latest OWASP Top 10 Penn test framework and what organizations need to do now to prepare. They also discuss the importance of close collaboration between the teams performing each assessment and the consequences most face when each are done in a vacuum.

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In the latest installment of this four-part series, Blaise Wabo welcomes A-LIGN's SOC 2 lead, Shayna Davitt, and ISO 27001 lead, Adam Lubbert, for a deep dive into SOC and ISO assessments.

They discuss common pitfalls companies face when pursuing both audits and how to avoid them, recent updates in the ISO 27001 standards, and the advantages of doing both SOC 2 and ISO 27001 simultaneously.

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Knowing which compliance assessment will best benefit your organization is just the start. Understanding the intricacies of compliance as a whole is critical in ensuring your find the right partners and people to successfully achieve compliance and leverage them to strengthen your security posture effectively. 

In this new episode, Blaise Wabo joins A-LIGN's practice leads for multiple compliance service lines as they continue their conversation on Which Compliance Assessment is Right for Your Organization. Together, they explore the specific dangers and risks of having a "check the box" mentality with their assessment, the importance of treating compliance as a "starting point," and other things to consider when seeking a compliance assessment.

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The world of compliance is one of numerous assessments and certifications, each varying in scope and effort depending on the industry they serve and the level of security. Figuring out which one is right for your organization can effectively and efficiently bolster your security posture, improving your competitive edge and offering to your clients. On the flip side, spending time and effort on the wrong one can exhaust an unnecessary amount of resources.

In this new episode, Blaise Wabo joins A-LIGN's practice leads for multiple compliance service lines. They discuss the specifics in each of their areas, such as timelines, prerequisites, and common misconceptions, as well as how to identify what compliance certification will best suit your organization's needs. 

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ESG is a topic we’re hearing come up more and more lately, especially as it relates to investors. If you’re unfamiliar, ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. At its core, ESG is helping companies and investors understand how ESG non-financial factors impact a company and how a company impacts those factors as well.

In this episode of Compliance Crosswalk, hosts Arti Lalwani and Blaise Wabo are joined by Leela Ramnath, Head of ESG at Warburg Pincus, to discuss what exactly ESG is and what we can expect for the future of ESG over the next ten years. They highlight the reasons why ESG has become such a huge trend and provide practical tips for organizations looking to implement ESG reporting frameworks and standards. They also dive into the potential exposure to risks or consequences for companies who do not implement and report on ESG.

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From advances in technology creating the "new perimeter" as a result of remote work, to the shifting perspectives on the importance of privacy, the landscape for security compliance has changed dramatically within the last five years.

These changes leave startups in the early stages of product development uniquely positioned to leverage compliance to unlock sales and drive scalable growth.

In this episode, Blaise and Ari talk with Rob Carson, a former Marine Corps officer, tenured cybersecurity executive, and CEO of Semper Sec Consulting. Together they discuss the future of the security compliance landscape as it pertains to startups, and how they can position themselves to scale faster by implementing security early in product development.

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It’s no secret that businesses across all industries and sizes are feeling the effects of the Great Resignation. So, what can organizations do to find and retain quality cybersecurity talent in these trying times?

In this episode of Compliance Crosswalk, hosts Arti Lalwani and Blaise Wabo are joined by Andrew Houshian, Vice President of Service Delivery Operations at A-LIGN to discuss what the great resignation is and how we got here. They highlight the reasons why finding and retaining quality cybersecurity talent is critical for every organization and provide practical tips for hiring managers on ways to help find and retain such talent in the current employment market.

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Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a global shift to a remote workforce, which has impacted how companies operate. With employees working from anywhere they want, there is an increased risk of cyber threats like phishing and ransomware attacks. So how has this impacted the focus of CIOs, CTOs, and CISOs?

In this episode of Compliance Crosswalk, hosts Arti Lalwani and Blaise Wabo are joined by Joe Alequin, Chief Information Security Officer at FAIR Health, Inc. to discuss how to mitigate risks associated with working remotely, ways to increase your company’s security posture and more.

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Earlier this month, cybersecurity and compliance firm A-LIGN released its 2022 Compliance Benchmark Report. The 2022 Compliance Benchmark Survey was conducted from November 2021 through January 4, 2022 and was comprised of questions about where these professionals see their compliance and cybersecurity programs going in 2022. Survey participation was significant, with 732 survey respondents comprised entirely of IT, security and compliance professionals

In this month’s episode, the report’s author and Vice President of Customer Success at A-LIGN, Patrick Sullivan, joins hosts Arti and Blaise to discuss and analyze some of the findings of the report. Sullivan is particularly interested in findings that tell the story about security compliance as a strategy, supported by three pillars:  planning, efficiency and value creation.

The report generates many compelling questions to cover: What are security and compliance professionals going to be focusing on for the rest of 2022? How are they preparing for worst case scenarios like a ransomware attacks? What is in store for cybersecurity compliance as a whole? 

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In February 2022, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) released an update to the ISO/IEC 27002:2013, known as ISO/IEC 27002:2022. In order to make the framework more adaptable and customizable to various organizations, a cadre of changes were announced.  

The major changes will include a reduction of the total number of controls, changes to the framework’s taxonomy and the creation of new attribute tables. This isn’t an exhaustive list of the changes to come this year with ISO; an amendment to ISO 27001 is expected to be published between May and October 2022.  

In this episode of Compliance Crosswalk, hosts Arti Lalwani and Blaise Wabo sit down with ISO 27001 expert, Steve Holladay of Arrowhead Training to better understand what is included in the February updates and where ISO 27001 is headed in the next year or two.

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A distributed workforce, the continued rise of ransomware and other malicious cyber activities and the marked increase of remote activities like telehealth have all lead to an expanded attack surface. More data is at more risk! 

In the inaugural episode of Compliance Crosswalk, hosts Blaise Wabo and Arti Lalwani sit down to discuss how things have changed in security, privacy and compliance since the global Covid-19 pandemic started and where they see these new trends taking us in a post-pandemic world.