Absolute Logic (www.absolutelogic.com), a firm providing IT security, technical support and technology consulting to Connecticut and New York businesses since 1991, today announced a suite of cybersecurity solutions that meet the compliance requirements for businesses and organizations impacted by the new New York State Department of Financial Services Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies (23 NYCRR 500). These solutions are available for implementation immediately in order to ensure that affected organizations can achieve compliance within the transitional period, currently set at 180 days from the requirements’ effective date of January 1, 2017.

The new requirements will mandate any organization overseen by New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) to comply with regulations meant to anticipate, address, and thwart cybercriminals. According to 23 NYCRR, Section 500.0, “This regulation requires each company to assess its specific risk profile and design a program that addresses its risks in a robust fashion.”

For businesses that fall under the oversight of the DFS, proposed requirements include establishing and maintaining a cybersecurity program, implementing and maintaining a cybersecurity policy, designating a qualified individual (internal or outsourced) to serve as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), employing sufficient additional cybersecurity personnel or firm to manage cybersecurity risks, implementing a third party information security policy, requiring multi-factor authentication, implementing limitations on data retention, ensuring training and monitoring, encrypting nonpublic information, establishing an incident response plan, and notifying the superintendent of any incidents. The cybersecurity program must also include penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, audit trail systems, access privileges, application security, and risk assessment.

To meet these requirements, Absolute Logic, which is a member of the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force, FBI InfraGard, and the National Cyber Security Alliance, has developed three solutions based on the size of organizations within the marketplace, as well as the level of IT infrastructure already in place. The “Turnkey” Solution is built for smaller organizations with no current internal IT capabilities. In this situation, Absolute Logic would provide a package of services that meets all of the requirements set forth in 23 NYCRR 500. “Starter Kits” are available for small to mid-size organizations that may have some internal or outsourced IT capability, but need assistance ensuring compliance with all of the regulations (e.g., Absolute Logic can serve as an organization’s CISO if needed). The “Framework” solution is meant for larger organizations with an established internal IT department that may need assistance with one or two of the regulations. For more information about these services, please visit http://www.absolutelogic.com/nyspart500/.

“These new requirements will significantly impact thousands of businesses throughout New York State,” said Al Alper, founder and chief executive officer of Absolute Logic. “In order to support our clients and the greater community, we wanted to ensure that Absolute Logic’s offerings were out in front of the law so that organizations could be aware of what they needed and have time to comply.

“Cybercriminals continue to become more sophisticated every day,” continued Alper. “These concerns are real, and many businesses are already doing the right thing in terms of protecting their clients’ and their own critical information. We’ve designed these solutions to ensure that companies are addressing these issues in the manner that the DFS has laid out in the most straightforward way possible.

“Absolute Logic is happy to serve as a Compliance Specialist or Information Security Officer for these organizations,” Alper said.

About Absolute Logic

Since 1991, Absolute Logic has been providing Fortune 500-style IT security, technical support and technology consulting to businesses of up to 250 employees. The firm’s original client base was comprised largely of independent insurance agencies, law firms and dental practices; today, these industries remain a key part of the company’s clientele but Absolute Logic has expanded its scope of services to represent more than 40 different industries. Services include managed IT services and consulting, cloud computing, virtualization, email and spam protection, backup and disaster recovery, VoIP solutions, network security, and more. Absolute Logic serves the IT and related needs of Connecticut and New York. Founder and CEO Al Alper is a national speaker on IT and security issues and has authored an article, “21 questions you should ask before seeking a computer support company.” To obtain a copy, or to request Al Alper as a speaker for a business organization, please call (203) 936-6680. Absolute Logic maintains offices at 44 Old Ridgefield Road, Suite 216, Wilton, CT, has a satellite location in Buffalo, NY and plans to open additional offices in the near future. Please visit the firm’s website at www.absolutelogic.com, and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter.