10 tips for effective regulatory monitoring
Cybersecurity regulatory monitoring has become a must for any CISO, Risk Manager or manager wishing to guarantee compliance and protect their company in the face of a constantly evolving legislative framework.
NIS2, DORA, RGPD, ISO 27001... Standards and obligations are multiplying, and knowing how to anticipate them is no longer limited to a simple reading of legal texts. The aim is to transform a constraint into a real strategic lever for governance and resilience.
Regulatory intelligence is a pillar of corporate governance, ensuring that the organization remains in compliance with constantly evolving laws and standards. For a CISO, it is a strategic exercise that goes well beyond simply reading legal texts; it is about transforming a constraint into a competitive advantage. Effective regulatory monitoring is a major challenge.
Whether you are Information Systems Security Manager (RSSI), Risk Manager, or manager, mastering this art is essential to navigate the current cyber landscape calmly.
In this article, discover:
- the definition and challenges of regulatory intelligence in cybersecurity;
- his role within the RCMP (Governance, Risk, and Compliance);
- the sectors and trades concerned;
- and above all, 10 practical tips for setting up effective and sustainable regulatory intelligence.
The objective? Making compliance no longer a hindrance, but a competitive advantage and a guarantee of trust for your customers, partners and collaborators.
What is regulatory intelligence and why is it crucial?
La Regulatory watch refers to a continuous and structured process of monitoring, collection and analysis legislative, regulatory and sectoral developments. Its objective is twofold: anticipate changes and adapt the security strategy in real time of the company in order to remain in compliance.
Concretely, it makes it possible to quickly identify:
- new laws and directives (e.g. RGPD, NIS2, DORA);
- international standards such as ISO 27001 or NIST ;
- obligations specific to a sector (health, finance, aeronautics, payments, etc.).
For a CISO, this approach is at the heart of GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) in cybersecurity. It is not limited to ticking boxes. It consists of integrating security and data protection requirements right from the design of projects, an approach known as Privacy by Design.
The objectives of regulatory monitoring: compliance, forecasting and value creation
Well-structured regulatory intelligence pursues several strategic objectives:
- Ensuring compliance : avoid fines that are sometimes very heavy (up to 4% of global turnover with the GDPR), but also criminal sanctions and reputational attacks that can undermine the trust of customers and investors.
- Anticipating cyber and regulatory risks : identify new obligations in advance (e.g. NIS2 for OSE/FSN, DORA for financial services, PCI DSS for payments) and adjust the security strategy before a constraint becomes a flaw.
- Building trust and supporting business : robust and transparent governance is a powerful commercial argument, both for your customers and for your partners or future talents (employer brand).
- Optimizing internal processes : by aligning your cybersecurity practices with recognized standards (ISO 27001, NIST, LPM), you gain in efficiency, readability and organizational maturity.
Conclusion : regulatory monitoring is not only an obligation, it can become a competitive advantage and a sustainable performance driver.
Who should set up a cybersecurity regulatory watch?
While the legal department is often on the front line, regulatory monitoring is everyone's business. The CISO acts as a conductor to translate texts into concrete security actions. Business departments, CIOs, and even human resources (for standards related to health and safety at work) are directly impacted.
Each sector has its own regulations: HDS for health, the DORA regulations for finance, Part-is for aeronautics or PCI-DSS for payments.
Relevant monitoring must be customized according to the sector and the size of the company. The key step is to make a risk analysis initial, in order to map applicable regulations and to focus efforts on high-impact areas.
To simplify this process, a platform like Egerie centralizes all stages of the monitoring process and links them directly to cyber risks.
Request a personalized demo to find out how Egerie facilitates end-to-end regulatory compliance.
How to structure regulatory intelligence in cybersecurity: 10 key steps
Setting up effective regulatory monitoring cannot be improvised. This requires a rigorous method, adapted tools and a good dose of organization. Here are 10 tips for doing just that.
1. Define the scope and objectives of your regulatory intelligence
Before you start collecting information, the first step is to define your approach. Ask yourself:
- What regulatory areas concern my venture ? (e.g. data protection, cybersecurity, occupational health, environment).
- What are the markets in which we operate? Les regulations Nationals, European (RGPD, NIS2, DORA) and international (American laws such as the Cloud Act, Chinese regulations...) must be taken into account.
- What is the objective of this eve ? Is it about getting certified, responding to an audit, or improving the overall security posture?
Defining a clear perimeter will prevent you from drowning in a flood of irrelevant information and will help you focus your resources on strategic issues.
2. Identify reliable sources of information
The quality of your monitoring depends directly on the reliability of your sources. It is important to diversify your channels to cross-reference information and get a complete picture of changes.
- Official sources : government sites (Légifrance), official journals, national agencies (ANSSI, CNIL) and European authorities (ENISA) are essential sources for legal texts and decrees.
- Standardization bodies : ISO, AFNOR or NIST publish standards and standards that define best security practices.
- Experts and specialized media: law firms, cybersecurity consultants, expert blogs and specialized media offer analysis and perspective on regulatory developments.
- Professional associations : organizations like the CLUSIVE Or the CIGREF provide valuable feedback from other experts in the sector.
3. Automate regulatory information collection
Collecting information manually is time consuming and error-prone. To increase efficiency, use tools to automate the monitoring of the sources you've identified.
- Google alerts and RSS feeds : set up alerts on specific keywords (“cybersecurity regulatory watch”, “new ISO standard”, etc.) and subscribe to the RSS feeds of your reference sites.
- Tools of eve specialized: dedicated platforms can scan the web, social networks and legal databases to automatically provide you with relevant information.
The aim is to centralize raw information in one place to facilitate its processing. The complexity of collecting and analyzing regulatory information can quickly become a barrier. A cyber governance platform like Egerie centralizes and streamlines this process, directly linking regulatory requirements to risks cyber for your business.
Want to know more? Request a demo right now.
4. Analyze and qualify information
Once the information is collected, the real work begins: it must be sorted, qualified and analyzed.
- Relevance : does this new regulation apply to my company, to my sector, to my activities?
- Impact : what are the potential consequences on our processes, our technologies, our organization? The impact can be financial, operational, or legal.
- Emergency : what is the deadline for applying the text? Do we need to launch immediate actions?
This analysis step is crucial. It requires close collaboration between the legal team and technical experts such as the CISO, who measure its impact on the information system.
5. Broadcast regulatory intelligence to stakeholders
Information is only valuable if it is shared with the people concerned. Set up a distribution system adapted to your organization.
- Summaries and newsletters: write regular intelligence reports (weekly or monthly) that summarize the important changes and the actions to be planned.
- Dashboards: Use dashboards to track the company's compliance status with various regulations.
- In the event of major changes, send an immediate alert to the managers of the affected departments (CIO, legal department, HR, etc.).
Communication should be clear, concise, and action-oriented so that each recipient understands what is expected of them.
6. Translate regulatory requirements into cybersecurity actions
This is where the role of the CISO makes perfect sense. It must translate the legal language of regulatory texts into an operational security action plan.
- Updating policies : security policies (PSSI), IT guidelines and procedures must be revised to incorporate the new obligations.
- Deployment of technical measures : this may include setting up a Computer bastion to control access to your data sensitive, the strengthening of encryption or the segmentation of the network.
- Raising awareness among teams : organize training courses to explain to employees the new rules to be respected, in particular with regard to the protection of personal data.
For example, faced with the requirements of NIS 2 on the management of risks associated with third parties, the CISO will need to define a process for selecting and evaluating IT service providers.
7. Track the implementation and measure the effectiveness of the previous day
Setting up actions is not enough. It must be ensured that they are properly applied and that they are effective.
- Follow-up plan : establish a follow-up plan with managers, deadlines and performance indicators (KPIs).
- Regular audits : make compliance audits internal or external to verify that the measures are in place and working as intended.
- Reporting : Regularly present to management an overview of the company's regulatory compliance, highlighting residual risks and areas for improvement.
8. Integrate regulatory intelligence into cyber risk management
La eve regulatory process should not be an isolated process. It must be fully integrated into the company's overall risk management approach. Each new regulatory requirement can create new risks (or modify existing ones). The impact analysis of intelligence must therefore feed directly into your cyber risk map.
A platform like Egerie allows you to make the link between your regulatory library and your risk scenarios. You then visualize in real time the impact of a regulatory change on your security posture and prioritize your compliance actions.
Request a demo by our team of experts.
9. Rely on internal and external experts
The CISO cannot be an expert on every subject. Surrounding yourself with a network of skills is essential.
- Internally : collaborate closely with the DPO (Data Protection Officer), the legal department, the internal auditors and the business managers.
- Externally : call on specialized consultants, law firms or audit companies to obtain expert advice on complex topics or to carry out an independent audit.
These experts can help you interpret ambiguous text, assess a technical impact, or validate your compliance plan.
10. Use a GRC platform to drive compliance on an ongoing basis
Faced with the complexity and volume of regulations, managing compliance with Excel spreadsheets quickly becomes impossible. The use of a centralized GRC (Governance, Risk and Compliance) platform is a major asset.
A solution like Egerie allows you to:
- Centralize your springs of standby and your repository regulatory.
- Map the requirements on your assets, process and apps.
- Automate the assessment of your level of conformity.
- Control your plans of action and monitor their progress.
- Generate reports of conformity in a few clicks for management or auditors.
Do you want to see how a GRC platform can transform your regulatory intelligence and risk management? Plan a personalized demo from Egerie with our team now.
FAQ on regulatory monitoring
This section answers frequently asked questions about setting up and managing effective regulatory intelligence.
What is the difference between regulatory intelligence and legal intelligence?
While the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a nuance. La Legal watch is broader and covers all branches of law (social law, company law, etc.). La Regulatory watch is a sub-category of legal intelligence, specifically focused on the laws, decrees, standards and regulations that govern a company's activity.
For a CISO, regulatory intelligence focuses mainly on texts related to cybersecurity, data protection and business continuity.
How much time should you devote to regulatory monitoring?
It depends on the size of your business, its sector of activity and its international exposure. However, it is not a part-time activity.
For a CISO in an ETI or a large group, this can represent several hours per week. The important thing is not so much the time spent as the regularity and structuring of the process. Using automation tools and GRC platforms can significantly reduce the time spent collecting to focus on analysis and action.
How to prioritize which regulations to follow?
Prioritization should be based on a risk analysis. Start by mapping out all the regulations potentially applicable. Then, evaluate them according to two axes:
- The impact in case of non-compliance: what are the financial, criminal or reputational sanctions?
- The probability of nonconformity : what is our current maturity level in relation to the requirements of the text?
Regulations with high impact and low maturity should be your top priority.
How to justify the cost of a monitoring platform or GRC?
Investing in a monitoring tool or a GRC platform should be presented not as a cost, but as insurance against risk.
Return on investment (ROI) can be measured in several ways:
- Reduction in direct costs : avoid non-compliance fines (which can reach millions of euros).
- Efficiency gains : automation of manual tasks, saving time for legal teams and security.
- Improving decision making : having a clear and real-time vision of the compliance posture makes it possible to better allocate security budgets.
- Competitive advantage : demonstrating a high level of governance can be a decisive factor in signing new contracts.
Faced with a regulator or an auditor, being able to prove that you have a structured and equipped monitoring process is a guarantee of seriousness and maturity.
