Everything Business Owners Need to Know About Massachusetts’ Privacy Regulation 201 CMR 17.00

MA Privacy Regulation 201 CMR 17.00

The latest MA privacy regulation has business owners scrambling. Find out more from a complete IT management company like Radius Executive IT Solutions.  

Complying with federal and state privacy regulations as a business owner can be a difficult thing to do without a lot of guidance. Massachusetts’ Privacy Regulation 201 CMR 17.00 is one of the latest regulations, and it is something business owners must comply within a timely manner. Working with an IT company that offers a full lineup of managed solutions is an important step to ensure you are in compliance with all state-level or federal-level regulations. Here is a look at some of what all business owners in the state need to know about this recent regulation.

Understanding Massachusetts’ Privacy Regulation 201 CMR 17.00

For many years, the security of the everyday customer has been at risk. The MA privacy regulation 201 CMR 17.00 is meant to help customers who reside in MA protect their personal information by regulating how that information is handled by business owners. The regulation is specifically established to safeguard the information that may be kept in either electronic or paper form by business owners. The regulation is governed by the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR). A few of the highlights include:

• New requirements about the encryption of stored or transmitted documents
• New requirements regarding firewalls between storage and outside entities
• New requirements on maintaining authorized user access to personal customer information

Additionally, every company that has any information on file or licenses personal information about a customer who lives in MA has to comply with these new regulations.

A Look at What Happens to Non-Compliant Businesses

Non-compliance with the latest MA privacy regulation is not something any business owner should face. According to the legislation released by the state of MA, those businesses that are found to be non-compliant can face a costly penalty of $5,000 for every single violation. If you are found to have several violations, you could be facing a massive monetary penalty that can be a major hit on your business. For businesses that are found to be non-compliant with data disposal sections of the new privacy regulation, a fine may be imposed of $50,000 for every case of disposal that is not handled in the proper way.

Opt for Complete IT Management with Radius Executive IT Solutions

When it comes to being prepared to handle new privacy regulations set forth by federal and state governments, it is always best if you have a complete IT management company on your side. At Radius, which is Boston’s number-one IT support and management company, we can help you comply with all new regulations. Some of the services we have that can help include:

• Helping you form a complete security policy for your business
• Creating a remediation plan to target any vulnerabilities found in your technical setup
• Working closely with your staff members to take the proper steps to achieve compliance
• Implementing a secure program that automatically encrypts email messages

Radius Executive IT Solutions is a Boston area-based company that serves clients throughout Boston and Eastern Massachusets. If you would like more help with understanding Massachusetts’ latest privacy regulation, contact us for professional advice.