CONFIGURATION COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES: IDENTIFYING GAPS IN STANDARD BENCHMARKS AND ADDRESSING DEVIATIONS FROM ESTABLISHED GUIDELINES

Abstract

Ensuring configuration compliance is fundamental for maintaining a secure and resilient IT infrastructure. Despite adopting various industry benchmarks and regulatory standards, many organizations struggle to meet configuration compliance requirements fully, particularly in dynamic, hybrid IT environments. This paper identifies critical gaps within existing configuration benchmarks, explores causes of deviations, and introduces a novel Adaptive Compliance Framework (ACF) to enhance compliance practices. The ACF emphasizes customized, risk-based solutions and continuous, automated monitoring strategies to bridge compliance gaps. This research aims to contribute to more robust and adaptive compliance practices, ultimately reducing configuration drift and enhancing security resilience in a constantly evolving threat landscape.