FTC Safeguards Rule

A lot of businesses this applies to don't know it applies to them

The FTC Safeguards Rule was significantly expanded in 2023 and now applies to a much broader range of businesses than most people realize - including CPA practices, mortgage brokers, auto dealers, tax preparers, and financial advisors, among others. If your business collects or handles non-public personal financial information from clients, there's a reasonable chance you have compliance obligations you may not have fully mapped out yet.

The consequences of non-compliance aren't theoretical. Regulators are actively enforcing, cyber insurance carriers are asking harder questions, and in the event of a breach, being able to demonstrate that you had a documented program in place matters enormously.

FTC Safeguards compliance that's built around your actual business

Compliance doesn't have to mean a binder assembled the week before an audit. When it's done properly, it's a real security program that protects your clients, reduces your risk, and gives you something defensible to show a regulator, insurer, or enterprise client who asks about your security posture. PCC works with businesses across the San Francisco Bay Area including Concord, CA and Pittsburgh, PA to build FTC Safeguards compliance programs that actually hold up - documented, maintained, and mapped to what the rule specifically requires.

What the FTC Safeguards Rule actually requires

At its core, the FTC Safeguards Rule requires covered businesses to develop, implement, and maintain a written information security program. That program needs to include a designated qualified individual overseeing it, a risk assessment, specific technical safeguards like encryption and multi-factor authentication, employee training, vendor oversight, and an incident response plan. It also requires periodic testing and regular reporting to your board or senior leadership. The specifics vary based on your business size and the type of data you handle, but the baseline requirements apply broadly.

How Pacific Computer Consultants handles FTC Safeguards compliance

PCC starts by understanding where your business currently stands - what's already in place, what's missing, and what the gaps look like relative to what the rule actually requires for a business your size. From there, PCC builds the program: the written information security plan, the technical controls, the documentation, the training, and the ongoing maintenance so compliance doesn't become something you revisit once a year and hope for the best. PCC has worked extensively with cyber liability specialists to help clients get their programs to a place that holds up under scrutiny.

Not sure whether your business is covered under the FTC Safeguards Rule?

That's the right question to be asking, and sooner is better than later. PCC will take an honest look at your current situation, tell you straight whether the rule applies to your business, and walk you through what a compliant program actually looks like - without the jargon and without the pressure.