Framework

A Compliance Framework is your blueprint for meeting specific compliance requirements, whether they're from regulations, industry standards, or your own company policies. It's a structured set of guidelines, best practices, and specific actions (called "controls") that help you manage risk and ensure you're following the rules.

Think of it as the overall plan for how you'll achieve and maintain compliance.

• Controls: Specific actions or checks required to meet the framework's objectives (e.g., "Implement multi-factor authentication").

• Guidelines: Recommendations and best practices for implementing controls effectively.

• Processes: Procedures and workflows for managing compliance activities.

• Metrics: Ways to measure and track compliance progress.

Frameworks can be based on external standards (like SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or NIST Cybersecurity Framework) or created internally to address an organization's unique needs.

They provide a consistent and repeatable way to assess, manage, and report on compliance. Sources and related content

Below is a visual representation of the Compliance Framework’s structure:

Framework
├── Control Group 1
│   ├── Control Group 1.1
│   │   ├── Control 1.1.1
│   │   ├── Control 1.1.2
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── Control 1.2
│   ├── Control 1.3
│   └── ...
├── Control Group 2
│   └── ...
└── Additional Control Groups
    ├── Control Group A
    ├── Control Group B
    └── ...

This structure makes it easier to organize, understand, and manage your compliance efforts.