Mitigate privacy risks to your customers and organization!

Privacy risk can exist throughout the data life cycle, so it is important to manage and govern data properly. A number of privacy risk management activities can be undertaken during the data life cycle. Designing a privacy risk management framework is the first step to ensuring data validation and data protection, monitoring and controlling data, and complying with all applicable laws and regulations.

The Continuum GRC ITAM SaaS platform has privacy modules available, such as:

Compliance Gap Assessments

A compliance gap assessment is a systematic evaluation of an organization's compliance with relevant laws, regulations, industry standards, and internal policies and procedures. It is conducted to identify areas of non-compliance or gaps in existing compliance processes and controls. The assessment aims to compare the organization's current state of compliance with the desired or required level of compliance and identify areas where corrective actions are needed.

During a compliance gap assessment, various elements are reviewed, such as policies and procedures, internal controls, training and awareness programs, record-keeping practices, and data protection measures. The assessment typically involves a thorough examination of documentation, interviews with key personnel, and sometimes even physical inspections of facilities.

Once the assessment is complete, a report is generated outlining the identified gaps, their significance and impact, and recommendations for closing those gaps. These recommendations may include process improvements, policy revisions, training programs, or the implementation of new controls. The purpose of this assessment is to help the organization enhance its compliance efforts, mitigate risks, and meet legal and regulatory requirements.

Modules include:

Stage 1 Gap Assessment - PCI
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - SOC 1
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - SOC 2
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - NIST 800-171
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - NIST 800-172
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - NIST 800-53
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - CJIS
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - IRS 1075
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - IRS 4812
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - StateRAMP
Stage 1 Gap Assessment - FedRAMP

Trusted Partner Network (TPN)

A Trusted Partner Network is essentially a group of businesses or individuals that join together around a mutual interest. The Motion Picture Association has formed a global initiative to create content security within a digital landscape. This Trusted Partner Network for the MPA works to improve security in the entertainment industry, especially among vendors, service providers, and other external providers. Protecting intellectual property is a key focus. The TPN has developed standards and practices to ensure a strong security posture around its content as a way to prevent cyber attacks.

The basic principles of a TPN –security awareness, enhancing security capabilities, promoting collaboration, and providing a secure environment –can be applied to other organizations.

How can we help

Continuum GRC can help provide the compliance services needed to achieve TPN compliance and join the partnership. These include assessing and auditing your practices around content security, your organization’s overall security posture, and alignment to industry standards. One of the benefits of assessing and implementing these standards is greater operational efficiency, knowing where best to direct resources and attention to potential threats to your cybersecurity.

The goal of a TPN audit is to verify your organization’s ability to protect sensitive content. Everything from physical security and cloud security to software development practices must be assessed. Let us help you work through these steps efficiently.

FAQ

What does a TPN audit involve?

It covers everything that can affect content security. An audit will assess the physical location of the organization, how software is developed, who has access to what, digital security protocols, cloud security standards, and secure workflows around film and TV content. A successful audit can lead to a TPN Certification.

What are the common requirements for TPN compliance?

To achieve TPN compliance, an organization must show the implementation of security controls per the MPA Content Security Best Practices, and demonstrate their effectiveness. Vulnerabilities discovered during an assessment must be addressed and remediated, and periodic re-assessments must be undertaken. Continuum GRC can help with this process.

How often should a TPN audit be conducted?

Basic guidelines are that a TPN audit should be conducted annually for a Blue Shield status, while every two years earns a Gold Shield. Depending on the part of the industry that your organization is in, and changing security threats, you might need to do an audit quarterly or semi-annually depending on the risk profile.

What happens if a company fails a TPN audit?

Your organization has the opportunity to remediate the security concerns, providing all necessary documentation. If you still fail, you’re at risk for increased scrutiny by regulators or government agencies, potential fines and legal actions for data breaches. At the very least, your company will suffer reputational damage in the industry.

What is the difference between risk assessment and technical gap assessment?

Risk assessment looks at potential hazards and risks within your organization, and analyzes the likelihood and impact they would have. Different scenarios are gamed out to be proactive in preventing problems.

A technical gap assessment examines your present security controls and systems to uncover “gaps” that could prove problematic and recommend improvements. It’s designed to ensure your controls align with desired goals.

How do you choose a third-party risk management audit service?

Start with their expertise. Continuum GRC is a leading TPRM service with deep expertise in navigating the compliance needs of industry certifications. We’ll help you narrow the scope of the audit, identify key risk areas, and integrate your organization’s RMF with the tools and practices needed to protect sensitive information.

What are you waiting for?

You are just a conversation away from putting the power of Continuum GRC to work for you.

The Value of a Gap Assessment

A privacy risk gap assessment specifically focuses on identifying discrepancies between an organization’s current privacy practices and the requirements of applicable data protection laws, regulations, or industry standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, ISO 27001). The compliance benefits of conducting regular privacy risk gap assessments are closely related to those of general privacy risk assessments, but emphasize pinpointing and addressing specific deficiencies. Here are the key compliance benefits:

Identification of Non-Compliance: A gap assessment highlights areas where current practices fall short of regulatory requirements, such as missing consent mechanisms, inadequate data subject rights processes, or insufficient security measures, allowing organizations to address these before they lead to violations.
Targeted Remediation: By pinpointing specific gaps (e.g., outdated privacy policies, lack of data encryption, or incomplete vendor agreements), organizations can prioritize resources to address high-risk areas, ensuring compliance with laws like GDPR’s Article 32 (security of processing) or CCPA’s reasonable security standards.
Alignment with Evolving Regulations: Regular gap assessments help organizations stay compliant with changing privacy laws or new regulatory guidance by identifying areas where practices no longer meet updated standards.
Audit and Certification Readiness: Gap assessments prepare organizations for external audits, certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001), or regulatory inquiries by documenting compliance efforts and identifying areas needing improvement before scrutiny.
Improved Accountability and Governance: They demonstrate a proactive approach to accountability, a key principle in regulations like GDPR (Article 5(2)), by showing regulators that the organization is actively identifying and addressing compliance gaps.
Third-Party Risk Management: Gap assessments often include evaluating vendor or third-party compliance with privacy requirements, ensuring alignment with regulations like GDPR’s Article 28 (processor obligations) or CCPA’s service provider contracts.
Reduced Legal and Financial Exposure: By identifying and closing gaps, organizations can avoid fines (e.g., GDPR fines up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover), litigation, or reputational damage from non-compliance or data breaches.
Enhanced Data Subject Rights Compliance: Assessments ensure processes for handling data subject requests (e.g., access, deletion, or portability under GDPR Articles 15-20 or CCPA) are in place and effective, reducing the risk of complaints or regulatory action.
Support for Privacy by Design: Gap assessments help embed privacy by design principles (GDPR Article 25) by identifying where systems or processes lack privacy controls, enabling proactive integration of safeguards.
Stakeholder Confidence: Regular gap assessments signal to customers, partners, and regulators that the organization is committed to closing compliance gaps, fostering trust, and reducing scrutiny.

For example, a gap assessment might reveal that an organization lacks a proper data breach notification process, which is critical for GDPR’s 72-hour reporting requirement or CCPA’s consumer notification obligations. By addressing this gap, the organization avoids potential penalties and strengthens its compliance posture. Regular gap assessments ensure continuous improvement, keeping privacy practices aligned with legal and industry standards while minimizing risks.