WHITEPAPER

Leveraging ServiceNow GRC to Streamline Compliance with the Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) Act

Summary

Australia’s Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI Act) and the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act (SLACIP Act) impose rigorous governance and security obligations on critical infrastructure asset owners and operators. Faced with evolving cyber threats, organisations must adopt innovative solutions to streamline compliance efforts, reduce operational risks, and bolster the security of essential services.
ServiceNow Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) is a powerful enabler designed to help organisations address complex compliance requirements like those outlined in the SOCI Act. GRC offers a suite of integrated capabilities, including Policy and Compliance Management, Risk Management, Audit Management, and Vendor Risk Management. These features can be leveraged to centralise compliance data, automate routine tasks, and gain real-time insights into the regulatory and risk landscape.
Key benefits of utilising ServiceNow GRC for SOCI Act compliance include:
• Improved Visibility and Control: Centralisation of compliance, risk, and audit information provides enhanced clarity and decision-making capabilities.
• Enhanced Collaboration and Accountability: Streamlined processes and clear role assignment improve coordination throughout your organisation.
• Streamlined Workflow Automation: Automate key tasks to reduce manual effort and minimise compliance errors.
• Continuous Monitoring and Real-Time Insights: Proactively identify and manage risks to critical infrastructure assets.
• Integration with Other ServiceNow Applications: Gain a holistic view of cybersecurity and IT operations to better protect critical infrastructure assets.
By adopting ServiceNow GRC, critical infrastructure organisations can achieve a comprehensive and integrated approach to SOCI Act compliance, enhancing their security posture and enabling them to focus on core business objectives with confidence.

Introduction & Overview of the SOCI Act

The Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 (SOCI Act) and the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act 2022 (SLACIP Act) impose significant obligations on organisations to protect Australia’s critical infrastructure assets.
The SOCI Act and the amending SLACIP Act introduces new requirements for critical infrastructure asset owners and operators in Australia. The Acts focus on improving the protection and resilience of critical infrastructure and fostering collaboration between industry and government.
Key provisions in both Acts are:
• The definition of critical infrastructure assets,
• Obligations to create and maintain a critical infrastructure risk management program,
• Enhanced cybersecurity obligations for operators of systems of national significance, and
• Mandatory cybersecurity incident reporting.
The Act aims to enhance the security and resilience of vital infrastructure while promoting cooperation between the industry and government.
As regulatory requirements become increasingly complex and the threat landscape continues to evolve, organisations face the challenge of managing compliance effectively and efficiently. To navigate this complexity and adapt to emerging threats, critical infrastructure owners and operators must leverage innovative solutions that streamline compliance efforts while addressing the dynamic nature of risks.
Streamlining compliance involves automating processes, centralising information, and improving collaboration between different teams and departments. By adopting comprehensive governance, risk, and compliance platforms like ServiceNow, organisations can gain a holistic view of their compliance landscape, automate routine tasks, and establish efficient workflows.
Effective compliance management must also account for the rapidly changing threat environment. This includes staying up-to-date on new regulations, adapting to emerging technologies, and addressing evolving cyber threats. By employing real-time risk identification and continuous monitoring, organisations can proactively respond to changes and maintain compliance with evolving regulatory requirements, such as those outlined in the SOCI Act.
As cyber threats against critical infrastructure escalate, ensuring compliance with the SOCI Act is no longer optional. Yet, many organisations grapple with fragmented systems and manual processes, making it challenging to maintain visibility into evolving risks and meet stringent regulatory requirements. Imagine a solution that centralises compliance, automates workflows, and provides real-time insights – introducing ServiceNow Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC). GRC can be a game-changer, streamlining your path to SOCI Act compliance and strengthening the security posture of your critical assets.
This whitepaper will discuss how ServiceNow Governance, Risk, and Compliance can help critical infrastructure organisations streamline compliance with these Acts, reduce operational risks, and improve overall security. We will delve into the various features and capabilities of ServiceNow GRC, explore automation opportunities, and examine the benefits of leveraging the platform for compliance.

ServiceNow GRC Capabilities

ServiceNow Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) provides a comprehensive suite of capabilities that can help streamline compliance efforts related to the SOCI Act. In this section, we will explore the some of the capability provided by GRC.
Policy and Compliance Management
ServiceNow’s Policy and Compliance Management allows organisations to define, manage, and monitor compliance with regulatory requirements. This capability enables businesses to create a centralised repository of policies, map them to specific regulatory requirements, and assign ownership and accountability for maintaining compliance. Crucially, it supports automated control testing, remediation tracking, and real-time compliance status reporting.
Risk Management
ServiceNow Risk Management helps enterprises identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with critical infrastructure assets by providing the tools for businesses to create risk profiles for their assets, assess the likelihood and impact of potential threats, and develop mitigation strategies to address these risks. ServiceNow GRC also supports continuous risk monitoring and reporting, enabling critical infrastructure businesses to stay on top of their risk landscape and make informed resource allocation and risk mitigation decisions.
Audit Management
Audit Management capabilities in ServiceNow will enable organisations to plan, execute, and manage audits to ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements and identify areas for improvement. The platform provides a centralised environment for managing audit engagements, tracking audit findings, and ensuring timely resolution of identified issues. With the ability to automate audit tasks, organisations can reduce the time and effort required to perform audits and focus on addressing compliance gaps.
Vendor Risk Management
ServiceNow’s Vendor Risk Management module helps organisations assess and manage risks associated with third-party vendors involved in critical infrastructure operations, thereby maintaining a secure and compliant supply chain. This enables businesses to create a centralised vendor registry, assess vendors based on predefined risk criteria, and continuously monitor vendor performance and risk profiles.
Platform-wide Interoperability
ServiceNow GRC can be integrated with other ServiceNow solutions to provide a holistic approach to managing risk and compliance across a critical infrastructure operator’s IT and security operations. By integrating these solutions, organisations can gain a comprehensive view of their IT infrastructure, enabling them to identify vulnerabilities, prioritise remediation efforts, and ensure that their IT environment is compliant with the SOCI Act.

Streamlining Compliance through Automation

ServiceNow GRC offers automation capabilities that can significantly reduce the time and effort required to maintain compliance with the SOCI Act by automating repetitive tasks to focus on higher-level strategic activities. In this section, we will discuss automation opportunities available within ServiceNow in relation to SOCI Act compliance.
Automated Policy and Control Testing
ServiceNow GRC enables organisations to automate the testing of their policies and controls, reducing the manual effort required to maintain compliance with the SOCI Act. By configuring automated test plans, organisations can regularly validate the effectiveness of their controls and identify potential compliance gaps. This automated approach ensures that businesses can proactively address issues, reducing the risk of non-compliance and minimising the potential impact on their critical infrastructure assets.
Continuous Monitoring and Reporting
ServiceNow GRC supports continuous monitoring and reporting of compliance status, enabling organisations to gain real-time insights into their compliance posture. By setting up automated alerts and notifications, businesses can stay informed of potential compliance issues and take immediate action to address them. This continuous monitoring approach ensures that organisations can maintain an up-to-date understanding of their compliance status and promptly address any emerging risks to their critical infrastructure assets.
Automated Risk Assessment and Mitigation
ServiceNow GRC allows organisations to automate the risk assessment process, streamlining the identification, evaluation, and mitigation of risks associated with critical infrastructure assets. By deploying risk assessment templates and automating the collection of risk data, businesses can quickly identify and prioritise risks, enabling them to allocate resources effectively and mitigate potential threats. This automated risk management approach ensures that organisations can maintain a proactive stance towards risk management and protect their critical infrastructure assets from emerging threats.
Automated Incident Response and Remediation
ServiceNow GRC’s integration with Security Operations enables organisations to automate their incident and vulnerability response and remediation processes. This streamlined approach ensures that organisations can rapidly address security incidents, reducing the likelihood of significant disruptions to their essential services.
Automated Compliance Reporting and Documentation
ServiceNow GRC supports automated generation of compliance reports and documentation, simplifying the process of demonstrating compliance with the SOCI Act to regulators and other stakeholders. By automating the collection of compliance data, organisations can easily generate up-to-date reports that highlight their compliance status and the effectiveness of their controls.

Continuous Monitoring and Risk Assessment

ServiceNow GRC enables organisations to continuously monitor and assess risks associated with their critical infrastructure assets. By leveraging real-time data and analytics, organisations can identify emerging risks and proactively take action to mitigate potential threats. This section will cover the key ServiceNow capabilities for continuous monitoring and risk assessment.
Real-Time Risk Identification
ServiceNow GRC supports real-time risk identification by continuously monitoring critical infrastructure assets and integrating with other ServiceNow solutions such as ITOM, ITSM, ITAM, and SecOps. This continuous monitoring approach helps organisations to identify emerging risks and vulnerabilities promptly, allowing them to respond to potential threats before they escalate and impact their essential services.
Dynamic Risk Scoring and Prioritisation
ServiceNow GRC’s dynamic risk scoring and prioritisation capabilities enable organisations to quickly assess and prioritise risks associated with their critical infrastructure assets. By automating the risk assessment process and using customisable risk scoring methodologies, businesses can quickly evaluate the severity of identified risks and allocate resources effectively.
Risk Mitigation and Control Design
ServiceNow GRC facilitates the design and implementation of effective risk mitigation strategies and controls for critical infrastructure assets. Organisations can use the platform to define and manage risk mitigation plans, assign responsibility for implementing controls, and track the progress of risk mitigation efforts.
Continuous Compliance Monitoring
ServiceNow GRC supports continuous compliance monitoring, enabling organisations to automatically track the effectiveness of implemented controls and policies in alignment with the requirements of the SOCI Act.
Risk Reporting and Analytics
ServiceNow GRC offers robust risk reporting and analytics capabilities that provide organisations with a comprehensive understanding of their risk landscape and compliance status. By leveraging advanced reporting features and customisable dashboards, businesses can gain insights into the effectiveness of their risk management and compliance efforts.

The ISM and Essential 8

Security Manual (ISM) Essential 8 is a set of strategies designed to help organisations protect their systems from various cyber threats.
The Essential 8 provides a baseline for organisations to improve their security posture and resilience, which is particularly relevant when complying with the SOCI Act.
The strategies include a subset of controls from the wider ISM. By incorporating these strategies into their risk management and security practices, organisations can significantly reduce the likelihood of cyber incidents that could compromise their critical infrastructure assets.
Implementing the Essential 8 in conjunction with ServiceNow GRC’s capabilities can provide a comprehensive approach to maintaining compliance with the SOCI Act, enhancing overall cyber resilience and protecting essential services.

Benefits of Using ServiceNow GRC for Compliance

Leveraging ServiceNow GRC to streamline compliance with the SOCI Act provides several key benefits for critical infrastructure businesses.
Improved Visibility and Control
ServiceNow GRC enhances visibility and control over critical infrastructure assets by centralising compliance, risk, and audit data. This consolidated view enables organisations to better understand the risk landscape, identify potential compliance issues, and prioritise their resources effectively.
Enhanced Collaboration and Accountability
ServiceNow GRC facilitates collaboration and accountability across different teams and departments by clearly defining roles and responsibilities for compliance and risk management. By streamlining communication and collaboration, organisations can ensure that all stakeholders are engaged in maintaining compliance with the SOCI Act.
Streamlined Process and Workflow Automation
ServiceNow GRC automates and streamlines compliance processes and workflows, enabling organisations to reduce manual efforts, eliminate redundancies, and improve overall efficiency. By automating key compliance tasks such as policy management, risk assessment, and audit management, businesses can focus their resources on addressing critical risks and vulnerabilities.
Continuous Monitoring and Real-Time Insights
ServiceNow GRC’s continuous monitoring and real-time insights capabilities enable organisations to proactively identify, assess, and manage risks associated with critical infrastructure assets. By staying ahead of emerging threats and vulnerabilities, businesses can respond to potential compliance issues and maintain the resilience and protection of their essential services.
Integration with Other ServiceNow Applications
ServiceNow GRC seamlessly integrates with other ServiceNow solutions. By integrating GRC with ITOM, organisations can gain a clear understanding of the relationships and dependencies between IT infrastructure components, helping them prioritise risks and make informed decisions about resource allocation.
Integration with ITSM enables organisations to streamline incident response and ensure compliance is maintained throughout the service lifecycle.
With Enterprise Asset Management, businesses can track and manage the complete lifecycle of assets, enabling better visibility into asset-related risks and facilitating more effective risk mitigation strategies.
The integration of ServiceNow GRC with SecOps allows for the alignment of security incident response and compliance management efforts. This provides the ability to detect, respond to, and remediate security incidents quickly, ensuring that their security posture remains compliant with relevant regulations.

Conclusion

As the complexity of the regulatory landscape continues to grow, organisations must find efficient ways to manage compliance and mitigate risks associated with critical infrastructure assets.
ServiceNow GRC offers a powerful, integrated solution that enables organisations to streamline compliance with the SOCI Act while reducing operational risks and enhancing overall security.
By leveraging automation, continuous monitoring, and risk assessment capabilities, organisations can focus on strategic activities that ensure the ongoing protection and resilience of their critical infrastructure assets.
Ultimately, ServiceNow GRC empowers organisations to navigate the ever-evolving regulatory landscape and maintain the trust of their stakeholders, customers, and the broader community.

References
Legislative Information and Reforms
Department of Home Affairs Cyber and Infrastructure Security Centre
https://www.cisc.gov.au/legislative-information-and-reforms/critical-infrastructure

Australian Cyber Security Centre
Essential Eight Maturity Model
https://www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/view-all-content/publications/essential-eight-maturity-model