The health information trust alliance (hitrust) has established a common security framework (csf) that can be used by all organizations that create, access, store, or exchange sensitive and/or regulated health related data.

The csf includes a prescriptive set of controls that seek to harmonize the requirements of multiple regulations and standards.

What are the benefits of hitrust certification?
reduced time and resources dedicated for audits
meet customer requirements through compliance
better understanding of risks and growth opportunities of an organization
enhanced security systems for better credibility and brand reputation
simplified compliance process for better healthcare services

who can get hitrust certification?
hitrust is a common framework built through collaboration with healthcare, information security and business technology for any organization to create, access, store or exchange protected health information (phi) safely and securely.

The restriction of specific hazardous substances in the european market is controlled or governed by rohs with the directive 2002/95/ec. The standard defines the permissible limits for specific elements of materials. any business that has its products in electronic and electrical domains which are targeted to the european market must be complaint with this directive. Rohs is also closely related to waste electrical and electronic equipment directive (weee) as it concentrates on environment friendly aspects wherein recycling and reuse are also given equal importance.

What are the benefits of rohs compliance?
product honesty: the product is more trusted by customers and more tests prove that the product will be preferred more by customers. Labeling would clearly state components and its content levels thus ensuring transparency of the product in the market.
Enhanced supply chain: the supply chain is better managed, and vendors are aware of product restrictions. A more educated workforce is achieved. Control of materials utilized is established.
Health benefits: health benefits for the workforce is enhanced by the use of rohs as more protective equipment is used during production.
Reduced defects: the organization will have reduced product defects as the product is controlled in all levels of supply chain and the workforce is better educated.
Fewer landfill hazards: with the restriction of hazardous substances, less environmental exploitation is evidenced. More stringent and regularized methods of recycling is practiced.

Total quality management (tqm) is an organization-wide philosophy with its core values which includes phases such as customer focus, involvement of all employees, continuous improvement and the integration of quality management into the organization as a whole.

What are the benefits of total quality management?
cost reduction tqm reduces costs throughout the organization when applied consistently
improved customer satisfaction through better control of quality products and services
enhanced streamlining of delivery systems through reduced rework and rejections
reduced lead times through higher productivity
helps in developing an adequate system of communication to enhance transparency and traceability

who should go for total quality management?
total quality management is applicable across various industry sectors like manufacturing, construction, service-based companies where there is ample and evident amount of room for improvement in terms of delivering quality products and services.

Internationally recognized method for identifying and managing the hazards or risks in food system. The food system is addressed through analysis and identification of critical points and implementing these controls. It outlines good manufacturing practices for all food sectors. Haccp is critical for your compliance as it is the base for most international food related standards. Its design is based on preventive approach through the identification and control of biological, physical and chemical hazards.

Benefits of haccp certification to your organization
implementation of internationally recognized standard.
Better trust with customers.
Reduced costs in long run.
Food safety standards increase.
Informed staffs in the organization.
Enhanced inventory control.
Consistency in the product quality.

benefits of haccp certification to your customers
assured product quality since haccp certified vendors would be practicing all required steps for compliance, assured product is obtained
better traceability of products whenever required, traceability of products is possible through this standard farm to fork
compliance for most international standards most international food related standards have haccp as a basic requirement
preventive approach an edge over traditional industrial practices through risk assessment
in times of litigation the supplier is prepared for all requirements of legal and regulatory requirements

Halal is derived from arabic which means lawful or permitted, provides assurance to all muslim consumers that the food is processed according to islamic laws (sharia). The food products which are consumed by muslim communities in daily life are in compliance with the process and procedure as defined by islamic laws which are also nutritious and ensure quality. certpro would also offer guidelines to be followed by the manufacturer or processor of food which establishes the halal process. The certification, though applicable to meat industry, is also applicable to industries that process milk, canned foods and additives. There are few mandatory requirements in halal certification. The certification would help the muslim community to identify the acceptable food product and would also boost the business in few areas of nations where the community is in abundance. Certpro offers halal certification in india, south africa, oman, uae, dubai, saudi arabia, iraq, iran, nigeria and all other nations.

What are the benefits of halal certification?
lawful food according to islamic dietary guidelines
integrity and ethical way of life by avoiding cruelty to animals, harm to the environment and unfair business practices
providing quality system and good practices for creating a trusted reputation with their customers
legal implications
a platform to penetrate international markets
boosts other supporting standards such as haccp and good manufacturing practice (gmp)

who can get halal certification?
food processing industry
meat slaughtering houses
restaurants and kitchens
dairy industry

It specifies the methods that are reasonably acceptable globally for production of food products. The methods defined in global gap certification would enhance the creation of food in basically three important aspects economical, safe and qualitative (nutritious). the certification is fast becoming a compulsion as most of the retailers are demanding it as it showcases the practice of good agricultural methods in all sectors of food production. The certification defines a better relationship between producers and their consumers.

What are the benefits of gap certification?
reduction in risks of food hazards.
Market access enhanced market presence due to the certification.
Complete control system.
Better capacity management.
Increase in exports.
Informed workforce.
Professional and tested methods of farming.
Increase in crop quality.
What are the requirements of gmp certification?
facility reconstruction

with the implementation of the global gap certification, the reconstruction of the overall facility of farming would be changed. Designated areas and required resource planning would be in practice and more insight on cost cutting could be achieved.

Record keeping and traceability

the certification emphasis on the traceability of the product from the stores to the farm unit. The recognition of the product at all stages of the production is concentrated in the certification process. The food safety demands the identification of the product and helps in rectification of non-conformities.

Training

the workforce needs education on the methods that are oriented towards hygiene, safety, restriction of pesticides as a part of good agricultural practices. We would train leaders who would impart the same in all operational levels.

Good laboratory practice or glp is a concept that recommends set of principles/procedures to be practiced ensuring the quality and integrity of non-clinical laboratory studies that are intended to support research or marketing permits. Glp as a practice is applicable to non-clinical studies and processes and not for general clinical studies. Good laboratory practice (glp) as a term is most commonly associated with pharmaceutical industry.

In general, glp is a process of having quality control system involving the organization-wide processes and activities of non-clinical health and environmental studies, that are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, reported and retained.

What are the benefits of good laboratory practice?
clear flow of traceability through detailed trail right from creation of document till its retention/deletion
better trust in the quality and reliability of laboratory data
improved performance in producing the right results the very first time
increase in overall productivity of the activities involved in laboratory through glp system
enhanced brand reputation through effective laboratory management
reduced need for re-work
drastic reduction in time spent on investigating non-revenue generating activities/cases

Good distribution practice (gdp) is that part of quality assurance that ensures that the quality of a pharmaceutical product is maintained through adequate control throughout the numerous activities which occur during the distribution process.

What are the benefits of good distribution practices?
ensures principles of gdp are applied throughout the supply chain
maintains product integrity and patient safety
helps achieve consistency
reduces the risk of falsified medicines entering the supply chain
reduces distribution complaints
improves customer confidence
reduces expensive mistakes
improves efficiency and lower costs
reduces wastage
improves margins
creates a culture of continual improvement
increases market share
involves, motivates and assists in the training of staff
helps market the organisation effectively
puts the organisation in a position to exploit new market sectors and territories

who should get good distribution practices?
the implementation and certification of good distribution practice is of paramount importance to safety as the global supply chain is becoming more complex and fragmented specifically in the pharmaceutical industry and food processing and packaging industry.

VAPT is a technical approach to address security loopholes in the IT infrastructure of an organization (application, software system, network etc.). Vulnerability Assessment is a process of identifying with an objective not to miss any loopholes. Based on the observation of Vulnerability Assessment with regards to severity, a Penetration Test will be conducted. Penetration Test is a proof-of-concept approach to truly explore and exploit vulnerabilities. This method confirms whether or not the vulnerability actually exists and additionally proves that exploiting it may end up in injury to the application or network. The PT process is mostly intrusive and can actually cause damage to the systems; evidence of the same are captured as screenshots or logs, which further helps to aid remediation.

Process methodology would be:

Scanning the network or application
Searching for security flaws
Exploiting the security flaws
Report generation on risk, severity & probability
Reassessing the system
Final report

Food safety standard certification is a recognized scheme of the global food safety initiative (gfsi). It has the basic framework of a risk-based approach like iso 22000 certification. Fssc 22000 has basic requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to be certified. The demands of the certification are in harmony with various other standards as iso 22000 is the backbone of the standard. The standard is further stretched with new demands in order to comply with various other international standards for food safety. Food safety management systems have been constructed for meeting requirements of health and safety of the consumers.

Iso 22000 food safety management system is a mandatory standard to achieve fssc 22000 certification.

Benefits of fssc 22000 certification to your organization
methodology: a standardized methodology which can provide effective risks identification and management.
Easy implementation: since fssc 22000 food safety standard certification is based on the iso model, implementation is easier and controllable.
Product reliability: as the products are manufactured with all legal and regulatory requirements, output of products is more trusted and stable.
Continual improvement: continual assessment would enable the organization to investigate new sectors of its processing where changes could be brought into the process, hence ensuring continual improvement.
Improved engagement: workforce is more involved and would be educated about requirements of food safety. More engagement in maintaining the standard implementation is evidenced.
Committed image: the organizations that gets certification would have improved its image in the marketplace. Higher customer trust in organizations that are certified.

Gdpr (general data protection regulation) is a regulation in eu law (eu) 2016/679 on data protection & privacy of individual citizens personal data or personal identifiable information (pii) of european union (eu) and european economic area (eea). It is also applicable to outsourcing this data out of eu and eea as well.

What are the benefits of being gdpr compliant?
the opportunity for customer retention and confidence in eu & eea regions
better data security practices
opportunity to learn & implement new technology
secured mode of data storage & transfer
new rules & rights for individuals/data subjects (consents, data deletion, privacy policy, etc.)
transparency with interested parties on the use of personal data processing
outward business development approach
streamlined client support approach
better handling of personal information of individuals
imposing data minimization on all business processes
new job opportunities for dpo & other security roles

who should be gdpr compliant?
the regulation applies to the processing of personal data in the european union.

This regulation applies to the processing of personal data in the context of the activities carried out by an establishment; either in the capacity of a controller or a processor, or both, in the european union, regardless of whether the processing takes place within eu-eea or out of it. To simply:

firms located in the eu-eea
firms not located in the eu-eea, if they offer free or paid goods or services to eu residents or monitor the behavior of eu residents

The payment card industry data security standard (pci dss) is an information security standard for organizations that handle branded debit/credit cards from the major card schemes.

The pci standard is defined by the card brands and managed by the payment card industry security standards council.

What are the benefits of pci dss compliance?
security improvement reduces the risk of data breaches
peace of mind for you and your customers
boost in customer confidence, thus better customer relationship
increasing profits through improved brand reputation
compliance helps avoid expensive fines

who should get the pci dss compliance?
pci dss compliance is a requirement to merchants and other organizations that store, process and/or transmit cardholder data.

Every payment card brand has recommended certain requirements for compliance validation and reporting.

To put in simple terms, pci compliance is required by companies using payments cards to make online transactions secure and protect them against identity theft.

Health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996 is united states legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information. It was subsequently revised in 2009 as a hitech act & again in 2013 with omnibus rule.

Hipaa&s objective was to reform the healthcare industry by reducing costs, simplifying administrative processes and burdens, and improving the privacy and security of protected health information (phi).

What are the benefits of hipaa compliance certification?
privacy of health data
security of health data
notification of data breaches
business opportunities through compliance
control on copies of medical data
increases personal privacy in healthcare information and decision-making
has created a brand-new industry to support medical professionals
prevents any form of discrimination in the medical sector
assigns role-based security of phi
requires the organization to have a data backup plan in place & share a copy on request
protection against malicious software & reduces the risk of hacking phi
physical security is a key area enforced for medical providers
reduction in the number of medical record errors
streamlining of processes through iterations and system audits

Soc is designed to help service organizations that provide services to other entities, build trust and confidence in the service performed and controls related to the services through a report.

Types of soc compliance
soc 1 (soc for service organizations icfr): report on controls of a service organization relevant to user entities internal control over financial reporting (icfr).

Soc 2 (soc for service organizations, trust services criteria): report on controls of a service organization relevant to security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy.

Soc 3 (soc for service organizations trust services criteria for general use report): these reports are designed to meet the needs of users who need assurance about the controls of a service organization.

Soc for cyber security (new): a reporting framework for communicating information about the effectiveness of cybersecurity risk management program to a broad range of stakeholders.

Soc for vendor supply chain (under development): an internal controls report on a vendors manufacturing process for customers of manufacturers and distributors to better understand the security risks in their supply chains.

Soc assurance reporting
type 1 (point in time) reports cover the suitability of the design of controls as of a point in time. The type I report is a snapshot in time.

Type 2 (period of time) cover the suitability of design and operating effectiveness of controls over a period of time, typically 6 or 12 months.

Ce marking is a certification mark that assures the compliance of the product according to the european economic area (eea). It is recognized worldwide even outside the eea and is acceptable worldwide. It is also mandatory for conduction of business in the european market. The responsibility of the standard would be upon the manufacturer or trader placing the product in the market.

Ce marking also has a self-assessment wherein a manufacturer provides a declaration of conformity that ensures a pledge from the manufacturer of adhering to the rules proposed by the eu.

What are the benefits of ce marking?
business advantages
organizations having proper ce mark can conduct business without facing any restrictions in eea (european economic area).

Product reliability
the product is trusted more in the market and safer products both with respect to manufacturing and customer safety is achieved.

Compliance to regulations
since ce mark is the only set of regulatory process, manufacturers need not worry about too many restrictions. Applying and achieving conformity can be the one stop solution.

Self-assessment
since not all ce mark certification requires notified body certifications, it is also possible for a few directives to be self-declared by the manufacturer for conformity.

Liability and damage claims
since the products are ce certified and the practice of the regulations are inculcated, damages or errors would decrease in the product and liability claims would decrease in the european market.

Free market access
since ce mark is the only certification required, nation-wise standards application is ruled out in european free trade market. Any manufacturer can place his product in market with ce marking.