Book Review: Compliance

Reviewed by Ben Rothke

01 June 2017

Print Issue: June 2017

Routledge; Routledge.com; 304 Pages; $118.96.

Humorist Mark Twain once observed, “If you don't like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” He could have been talking about compliance. For many firms, new regulatory and compliance requirements create significant and shifting challenges.

In The Changing Face of Compliance: Managing Regulatory Risk, author Sharon Ward has compiled a convenient reference to help organizations get a handle on their regulatory and compliance requirements. From understanding and interpreting what needs to be done to finding adequate staff to carry out required tasks, this book shows what firms can do to tackle their compliance issues.

Ward is a regulatory compliance specialist based in the United Kingdom, and the chief examiner for the International Compliance Association. She does a good job showing readers how to deal with the different levels of management when pursuing a compliance program. Importantly, she shows how to effectively communicate with a corporate board get buy-in. And her advice crosses national boundaries to apply anywhere.

While the book is on the pricey side, it gives the reader a solid and broad foundation of what it takes to create a formal compliance program. Those looking for a serious and useful guide on getting their compliance initiatives in order will find this to be a most worthwhile read.

Reviewer: Ben Rothke, CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), PCI QSA (Qualified Security Assessor), is a principal eGRC consultant with the Nettitude Group.