Security & Compliance Resource Guide

Security & Compliance Resource Guide

Do I need a security & compliance expert to oversee my app development?

In most cases, yes. 

Building software is like building a house. You might know how to hammer nails and paint walls, but you wouldn’t necessarily know all the building codes, fire safety requirements, or electrical standards. A compliance expert is like a building inspector who knows all the rules before you build, saving you from expensive mistakes.

Industries requiring security and compliance. 

  • Healthcare, finance, and government projects almost always require independent security audits
  • Companies working with these clients expect and budget for third-party validation
  • It’s often legally required or necessary for certification

Key Reasons You Need an Security & Compliance Expert

1. The Rules Are Constantly Changing
Regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS are updated regularly. A compliance expert stays current with these changes so you don’t have to. What was compliant last year might not be compliant today.

2. Mistakes Are Extremely Expensive

  • GDPR violations can cost up to €20 million or 4% of global revenue
  • A single data breach averages $4.45 million in costs
  • Non-compliance can shut down your entire business or prevent you from launching
  • Legal fees and lawsuits can bankrupt companies

 

3. You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know Most developers focus on making software work well. They might not realize that:

  • Storing passwords in plain text is dangerous
  • Logging user data might violate privacy laws
  • That convenient third-party library has security vulnerabilities
  • Your “deleted” data needs to be truly unrecoverable

 

4. Different Industries Have Different Rules If you’re building a health app, you need HIPAA compliance. A payment system needs PCI DSS. An app for children needs COPPA compliance. Each has specific technical requirements that aren’t obvious unless you’ve studied them.

 

5. Security Isn’t Just About Hackers Good security also means:

  • Protecting against accidental data leaks
  • Ensuring employees can’t abuse their access
  • Having proper backup and recovery systems
  • Knowing what to do when (not if) something goes wrong

 

6. Built-In vs. Added-On Security and compliance are much easier and cheaper when designed into software from the start. Trying to add them later is like trying to add a foundation after you’ve already built the house—expensive, disruptive, and sometimes impossible.

7. Trust and Reputation One security breach or compliance violation can destroy years of reputation building. Customers need to trust you with their data, and that trust is hard to earn back once lost.

Real-World Example of Apps Requiring Security & Compliance

Imagine you’re building a fitness app that tracks health data. Without an expert, you might:

  • Store data in a way that violates HIPAA (if it qualifies as health information)
  • Forget to encrypt data properly
  • Share data with advertisers in ways that violate GDPR
  • Not have proper consent mechanisms
  • Lack the required data deletion features

Any one of these could result in massive fines, lawsuits, or being forced to shut down.

The Bottom Line

Think of a security/compliance expert as insurance and guidance rolled into one. They help you:

  • Avoid costly mistakes before they happen
  • Build trust with customers
  • Actually launch your product (many industries won’t let you without proper compliance)
  • Sleep better at night knowing you’re protected

It’s much cheaper to pay an expert upfront than to pay lawyers, fines, and damages later—not to mention the cost of rebuilding your entire system to fix compliance issues after launch.

We Do Things Differently at New Idea Machine

If your app handles sensitive information, we require an independent security/compliance expert on the project.

You can bring your own, or we’ll recommend one.

Here’s how it works: The security expert collaborates with our developers from day one—before we write a single line of code. They review our work throughout the build to catch issues early.

Why we do this:

Most agencies say “we follow security best practices.” We say “an independent expert verifies we followed security best practices.”

It’s the difference between grading your own homework and having someone else check it.

 

What you get:

→ Fresh eyes. Developers checking their own work miss things. It’s human nature.

→ Future-proofing. As regulations tighten and breaches increase, this is becoming the standard. You’re ahead of the curve.

→ Protection. If something goes wrong, you have documentation proving you did your due diligence.

→ Peace of mind. You know your app is actually safe, secure, and compliant—not just “hopefully” compliant.

→ Cost savings. Catching security issues during development costs thousands. Fixing them after launch costs tens of thousands (or more).

This isn’t standard practice yet. But it should be.

 

Compliance Requirements by Industry: A Digital Product Guide

General/Cross-Cutting Standards
  • ISO 27001 – Information security management
  • SOC 2 – Service organization controls
  • WCAG 2.1/2.2 – Web accessibility
  • ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) – Digital accessibility
  • NIST frameworks – Cybersecurity standards
  • CMMC – Cybersecurity maturity (for DoD contractors)
  • GDPR (EU) – General data protection
  • CCPA/CPRA (California) – Consumer privacy rights
  • PIPEDA (Canada) – Personal information protection
  • LGPD (Brazil) – Data protection
  • PDPA (Singapore, Thailand) – Personal data protection
  • UK GDPR – Post-Brexit data protection
  • HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) – US healthcare data privacy
  • FDA (Food and Drug Administration) – Medical devices and health apps
  • HITECH Act – Health information technology standards
  • GDPR (for EU patients) – Healthcare data in Europe
  • PIPEDA (Canada) – Personal health information
  • MHRA (UK) – Medical devices and apps
  • PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) – Payment processing
  • SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) – Investment and trading platforms
  • FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) – Broker-dealers
  • SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) – Financial reporting and auditing
  • GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) – Financial privacy
  • AML/KYC regulations – Anti-money laundering and customer verification
  • PSD2 (EU) – Payment services
  • FFIEC – Banking technology standards
  • CFPB regulations – Consumer financial protection
  • FCC (Federal Communications Commission) – US telecom regulations
  • CALEA – Communications assistance for law enforcement
  • TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) – Telemarketing and robocalls
  • COPPA – Children’s online privacy (for messaging apps)
  • FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) – Student records
  • COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) – Under 13 users
  • CIPA (Children’s Internet Protection Act) – Internet filtering
  • PPRA – Student surveys and data collection
  • State-specific laws (e.g., California’s SOPIPA)
  • PCI DSS – Payment card data
  • FTC Act – Fair trade practices
  • CAN-SPAM Act – Email marketing
  • Consumer protection laws – Various by jurisdiction
  • Accessibility standards (WCAG, ADA)
  • State gaming commissions (varies by state/country)
  • UKGC (UK Gambling Commission)
  • Malta Gaming Authority
  • Age verification requirements
  • Responsible gambling regulations
  • FDA – Drug information and promotion
  • EMA (European Medicines Agency)
  • GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) – Quality systems
  • 21 CFR Part 11 – Electronic records and signatures
  • FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) – Aviation software
  • EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency)
  • DO-178C – Airborne software standards
  • DO-254 – Airborne electronic hardware
  • ISO 26262 – Functional safety for automotive systems
  • UNECE regulations – Vehicle cybersecurity
  • NHTSA – Vehicle safety standards
  • GDPR/CCPA – Connected vehicle data
  • FedRAMP – Cloud services for US government
  • FISMA – Federal information security
  • Section 508 – Accessibility for federal agencies
  • ITAR – International traffic in arms regulations
  • StateRAMP – State government cloud security

 

  • COPPA – Children’s content
  • DMCA – Digital copyright
  • FCC regulations – Broadcasting standards
  • MPAA/ESRB – Content ratings
  • VPPA – Video privacy protection
  • State insurance commissions – Varies by state
  • NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners)
  • Data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA)
  • SOX – For public companies
  • NERC CIP – Critical infrastructure protection (power grid)
  • FERC – Federal energy regulations
  • Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Nuclear facilities
  • TSA Pipeline Security – Pipeline cybersecurity
  • FDA – Food labeling and safety information
  • USDA – Agricultural products
  • FSMA – Food safety modernization
  • EU Food Information Regulation
  • RESPA (Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act)
  • Fair Housing Act – Anti-discrimination
  • State real estate commissions
  • MLS regulations – Multiple listing services
  • OSHA – Workplace safety systems
  • ISO 9001 – Quality management
  • IEC 62443 – Industrial cybersecurity
  • Export control regulations (EAR, ITAR)

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