Operational Resilience and Governance

Business continuity planning, incident response, and governance

The rise in cyber-attacks has highlighted the importance of developing robust policies, plans, and procedures to better protect your company from data breaches and efficiently recover from a cyber incident or significant business disruption. We can help your company implement a comprehensive information security program that enables you to identify and manage risks, foster a culture of security, and prepare for the unforeseen, but inevitable, incident with business continuity and incident response planning.

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Business Continuity Planning and Business Impact Analysis

In the event of a disaster such as a technological failure or cybersecurity attack, it’s critical to have a business continuity plan (BCP) that outlines the procedures your company must follow in order to continue operating and recover from the disruption. A business impact analysis (BIA) should also be part of your BCP, which evaluates the effects of a disruption on critical business functions.

How We Help

We provide incident response and business continuity planning development and implementation assistance which is designed to help your company address its operational and other risks in the event of a disruption, as well as meet upcoming regulatory obligations.

We can assist your company in developing its business continuity and transition plans. In addition, our advice and assistance can help you ensure that your company’s BCP meets the requirements of the SEC's proposed rule 206(4)-4, which proposes that SEC-registered investment advisers be required to adopt and implement written business continuity and transition plans.

Cyber Incident Response Planning

Is your company prepared for a cyber event? Incident response proficiency has become a necessary component of information security programs due to constant and evolving threats. In order to build and implement an effective incident response plan (IRP), a company must assess its overall risk posture and develop written policies and procedures to help protect its information technology environment. A properly designed IRP also provides guidance to employees and helps them understand their roles and responsibilities.
 

How We Help

We can help your company develop an IRP that is designed to mitigate losses in the event of a cybersecurity event. We will also provide guidance for your employees and help them understand their roles and responsibilities. Once your company has developed an IRP, we recommend testing its effectiveness through tabletop exercises.

Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise

With data breaches on the rise and more privacy regulations going into effect, it’s more important than ever for companies to develop and test incident response and business continuity plans in preparation for cyber events.

How We Help

Our tabletop incident response exercise is a discussion-based walkthrough of your company’s incident response plan. It allows you to test your plan with members of your team and assign roles for each scenario. The exercise is designed to uncover gaps and identify areas that your company can improve. The test can help you determine if your plan is reasonably developed and will be effective when faced with a real event.

WISP Development Assistance

A written information security program (WISP) documents the policies and controls that protect your sensitive data and critical systems, including the protection of personally identifiable information your company collects and stores.

How We Help

We can assist your company with developing a written information security program. Our cybersecurity business continuity plan service includes:

  • Developing WISP in accordance with industry standards and the appropriate regulatory requirements
  • Guidance on best practices
  • Identification of potential deficiencies based on our review of your current information systems and security policies, manuals, and procedures
  • Preparation of new documents or enhancing your existing documentation
Business Continuity Planning Checklist

Is your firm prepared to deal with the potential business disruptions caused by pandemics and other risks? Revisit your business continuity and disaster recovery planning with this checklist.

Download checklist

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Solution Spotlight

Aponix Protect™ comprehensive cybersecurity and technology risk solution

Aponix Protect helps firms address evolving cyber risks and threats to ensure that their cybersecurity needs are covered year-round. This solution is available in three tiers, each one designed to provide firms with a flexible, robust, responsive, and cost-effective cybersecurity program.

Latest insights

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FBI Warns of Criminals Impersonating Advisers and Brokers

The FBI has warned of recent criminal activity in which threat actors impersonate investment advisers and brokers online.

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FINRA Warns of Additional Fake Emails

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued an alert warning of reported additional phishing attempts using fake FINRA credentials. Per the notice, an ongoing email phishing campaign has been reported, in which the fake FINRA domain name of "gateway-finra[dot]org" is being used.

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Peer Analysis: Understanding Today’s Compliance Risks and Solutions

Find out what financial firms have identified as three of the knottiest issues facing compliance teams this year, the top five compliance areas that could benefit from better technology, and the biggest hurdles to compliance technology adoption in our latest peer analysis infographic.

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GDPR: Expectations vs. Realities on the Regime’s Third Anniversary

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) reached its third-year anniversary on 25 May 2021. Three years after implementation, we speak with Alex Scheinman, Managing Director, ACA Aponix, about the impact of the regulation, how the COVID-19 global pandemic, Brexit and Schrems II influence the regime, and where data privacy rules will head next.

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FINRA Addresses Customer Account Takeovers (ATOs); Firms Advised on Protection Tactics 

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has issued a regulatory notice in response to a noticed increase in customer account takeovers (ATOs). During these ATOs, bad actors compromise account information, gain unlawful entry into customer online brokerage accounts, make fraudulent transactions, siphon out funds, and commit other crimes. Similarly, bad actors have increasingly been using simulated identities to open online accounts, and unlawfully access funds and data. FINRA’s regulatory notice summarizes the observations of 20 firms of various business models and sizes on the subject.

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Protecting the Enterprise Server: After the SolarWinds®/Microsoft® Exchange® Hacks

The SolarWinds breach and the Microsoft Exchange server breach are striking, both in the extent and the breadth of their damage. The damage is ongoing; as part of the attack pattern, backdoor malware designed to give the attackers persistent access to the compromised organizations has been planted for future criminal activity. The recent executive order on cybersecurity testifies to the severity of the problem and the need for a centralized, proactive response. Learn what patterns we have observed and the mitigating strategies we recommend.

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News

ACA Group Acquires Financial Compliance Firm, FINOP Consulting

Acquisition strengthens ACA’s outsourced financial operations offering for broker-dealers.

ACA Group Recognized on ESGFinTech100 Among Top Industry Innovators

We are thrilled to announce that ACA Group has earned a spot on the prestigious 2024 ESGFinTech100 list, joining the ranks of the world's most innovative ESG technology providers.

Financial Services Firms Lag in AI Governance and Compliance Readiness, Survey Reveals

The 2024 AI Benchmarking Survey by ACA Aponix and NSCP reveals that, despite enthusiasm for AI, financial firms lack formal AI governance frameworks, testing protocols, and third-party oversight.

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