February 2024 Newsletter
10 Essential Yet Simple Strategies
for Achieving Compliance in 2024
Due to the rapidly evolving landscape of data protection and compliance, staying abreast of the latest requirements can be challenging for businesses. With the regulatory environment becoming increasingly stringent, non-compliance can result in severe penalties and reputational damage. MVP Network Consulting understands the importance of compliance in today's digital age and offers these ten essential yet simple strategies to help your business achieve compliance in 2024.
#1: Stay Informed: Regularly monitor updates and changes in relevant regulations to ensure compliance with the latest requirements.
#2: Implement Access Controls: Restrict access to sensitive data only to authorized personnel through robust access control mechanisms.
#3: Encrypt Sensitive Data: Utilize encryption technologies to protect sensitive information both in transit and at rest.
#4: Regular Training: Conduct regular training sessions to educate employees on compliance requirements and best practices for data protection.
#5: Maintain Audit Trails: Keep detailed audit trails of data access and transactions to facilitate compliance audits and investigations.
#6: Secure Third-Party Relationships: Vet and monitor third-party vendors and partners to ensure they adhere to the same compliance standards as your organization.
#7: Conduct Regular Assessments: Perform regular assessments and audits of your systems and processes to identify and address compliance gaps proactively.
#8: Incident Response Plan: Develop and implement a robust incident response plan to effectively address and mitigate data breaches or security incidents.
#9: Document Everything: Maintain thorough documentation of compliance efforts, including policies, procedures, and evidence of compliance activities.
#10: Identify Risks: Prioritize regular penetration testing to identify and mitigate potential weaknesses ensuring robust compliance and data protection measures.
By implementing these strategies, businesses can enhance their compliance posture and mitigate the risk of regulatory violations. However, achieving compliance is an ongoing process that requires vigilance and adaptation to evolving threats and regulations.
Top Data Breaches of 2023
The battle against cyber threats is an ongoing challenge. Unfortunately, 2023 has proven to be a watershed year for data breaches. Data compromises have surged to an all-time high in the U.S. This is based on data from the first 9 months of the year. Meaning that numbers will only end up higher for the year. The last data breach record was set in 2021. That year, 1,862 organizations reported data compromises. Through September of 2023, that number was already over 2,100.
In Q3 of 2023, the top data compromises were:
HCA Healthcare
Maximus
The Freecycle Network
IBM Consulting
CareSource
Duolingo
Tampa General Hospital
PH Tech

Catch of the Month: False Offer Scam
Beware! A recent scam attempt has surfaced, targeting unsuspecting individuals with promises of discounted bills. The caller claims to represent Spectrum and offers an enticing 50% discount on their regular bill for three years. The catch? Paying five months' worth of bills upfront. The urgency is palpable with threats of imminent expiration. What's truly unsettling is the scammers' access to personal information, including payment history, name, and address.
How to Stay Safe: Stay safe by verifying with the company directly, being skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true, and guarding your personal information vigilantly.

Past Events
How to Elevate Team Productivity & Cybersecurity Using the Cloud
In this video, you'll learn:
- Practical strategies to increase productivity for you and your team
- The must-have collaboration tools including Microsoft 365
- Cybersecurity best practices every business should have in place when using the cloud
How to Simplify Compliance & Turn Risks into Opportunities for Business Growth
In this video, you'll learn:
- About the evolving regulatory landscape in 2024
- How to build an easy, proactive compliance strategy
- How to transform compliance challenges into business opportunities
Incident Response 101: Effective Strategies for Business Owners in a Cyber Attack
In this video, you'll learn:
- How to identify cybersecurity risks
- Consequences of a data breach and non-compliance
- An effective cybersecurity framework
- Key components of an incident response plan
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MVP In The Community
We kicked off the year with a triumphant Red Cross Blood Drive in January.
Looking forward, we're thrilled to join forces as Meal Makers at the Ronald McDonald House this February. Our dedicated team of MVP chefs will be lending their culinary expertise to support this noble cause. Moreover, we're honored to serve as the local coordinator for the 38th Annual Hospice Spring Bouquet sale, further demonstrating our commitment to our community.
MVP Partner Spotlight: Sheridan Medical Group
Sheridan Medical Group is a Primary Care Practice that strives to provide a new kind of patient experience. Over 20 years of serving this community, we’ve developed sophisticated practices, policies, and resources that enable us to provide whole-person healthcare. Our focus is on health maintenance and disease prevention tailored to the individual, and our interdisciplinary team allows us to provide patient-directed care. Taking an innovative approach to primary health care, Sheridan Medical Group operates as a Patient Centered Medical Home, providing comprehensive healthcare—including physical and mental healthcare—that helps our patients manage all aspects of their health.
We have worked with MVP for a decade and a half, and they have proven to be a critical partner. As an innovative primary care provider, we rely on the technological expertise of MVP’s staff to enable us to deliver the highest quality care. They consistently offer creative solutions to some unique problems, while ensuring compliance with cyber security standards. Recently, MVP helped create a technological tool for provider education that we use for continuous quality improvements to clinical care. With MVP’s swift and innovative action, Sheridan Medical Group became one of the first practices in WNY to shift to remote work for our employees and provide virtual care to our patients during the pandemic.
Beyond their technical resources, MVP has proven to be a communicative and accessible partner, which is important to us as we respond to the urgent needs of our patients. They have made themselves available 24/7, taking our calls as needed and providing honest, direct assessments of our technological concerns. Additionally, they hold regular meetings and provide training for our own office staff, helping us to ensure that the practice runs as smoothly as possible. Finally, MVP has consistently shown their sensitivity to client feedback, taking our suggestions seriously and integrating them into future interactions.
Overall, MVP has made it possible for us to provide timely, seamless care to our patients. If you would like to learn more about Sheridan Medical Group and the patient-centered experience we provide, please visit our website: www.sheridanmedgroup.com
Employee Spotlight: Omar Shall
Meet Omar Shall, our Senior Cloud Engineer, who joined MVP in 2017. Throughout his journey with MVP, Omar has seized multiple opportunities for learning and growth, propelling him toward the achievement of his career goals and the mastery of new technologies.
Beyond the realm of codes and clouds, Omar resides in Clarence, NY, alongside his wife and their two children. While he yearns for moments of personal indulgence, Omar's free time is joyfully dedicated to his little ones, chauffeuring them to their favorite activities. Weekends are a time for family bonding, spending time with family here or with his extended family over the border in Canada.
As a valued member of the MVP team, Omar takes pride in delivering exceptional services to all MVP partners. His commitment to excellence is unwavering, making him an integral part of our success story.