Compliance means following the laws, regulations, standards, and requirements that apply to your business.

Compliance helps you meet legal and regulatory obligations, reduce risk, protect customers and employees, and operate in the markets you serve.

Compliance covers many areas, including privacy, cybersecurity, financial regulation, AML, AI, employment, tax, ESG, product safety, trade, health & safety, and consumer protection.

A law or regulation is a legal requirement. A standard provides an agreed set of requirements or practices. A framework provides a structured way to manage risk or compliance. Their legal status and whether they are mandatory depends on the context.

No. Requirements depend on factors such as where you operate, what you do, your industry, the information you handle, your customers, and the markets you serve.

Yes. Compliance can depend on your country, state, province, and sometimes even the jurisdictions where your customers or employees are located.

Yes. Small businesses can have significant compliance obligations, although the requirements may differ from those of larger organizations.

Depending on the requirement, consequences can include fines, penalties, lawsuits, loss of licenses, regulatory action, reputational damage, or being unable to operate in a particular market.

No. Cybersecurity is one area of compliance. A business can also have privacy, employment, tax, financial, product, environmental, and other obligations.

No. Certification is generally a formal process through which an organization demonstrates that it meets defined requirements. Being compliant and being certified are not necessarily the same thing.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is an EU data protection law that governs how organizations handle personal data and the rights of individuals.

SOC 2 is an assurance framework focused on controls relevant to areas such as security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. It is not a law.

ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system.

Start by identifying what your business does, where you operate, what data or assets you handle, and which regulations or standards apply. Then determine which requirements you need to meet and how you will demonstrate compliance.

Not necessarily. Some requirements can be managed internally or with software, while others may benefit from legal, consulting, audit, cybersecurity, or other specialist expertise. The right approach depends on the complexity and risk involved.