Government agencies require strenuous regulation because they often have access to sensitive documentation for every American, such as social security numbers. To maintain privacy, government agencies must adhere to strong regulations and have a plan of attack in place in case of a security breach. These incidents happen often. In the fiscal year of 2021, the TIGTA (Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration) closed 95,569 incident tickets. Over two-thirds of those had a cause code of "not listed, no list defined, other general failure," or no code was selected at all.
Maintaining compliance means that government agencies must follow Executive Order 14028, developing a stronger understanding of what causes incidents and how to fix them. From cybersecurity threats to public safety incidents, agencies need traceable and secure processes.
No matter the level of security for a government agency, incident management software ensures no issue, red flag, or compliance concern slips through the cracks.
Why Is Compliance So Critical for Government Agencies?
Government entities and federal contractors operate under intense public scrutiny. Compliance ensures government agencies adhere to established laws, regulations, and standards. All of these are the bare minimum required to maintain public trust and confidence. Additionally, government agencies manage public assets and funds. Compliance reports show that money allocated by Congress is spent as promised.
Non-compliance at the federal, state, or industry level can lead to significant penalties, including:
- Financial penalties
- Audit failures
- Loss of accreditation
- Reputational damage
Effective incident management ensures everyone is treated fairly, upholding America's democratic values. When compliance workflows are in place, problems such as favoritism, corruption, and discrimination can be kept in check.
What Are the Key Regulations Government Agencies Must Follow?
The US government has over 400 agencies in operation. Depending on what type of work each agency handles, the following compliance regulations apply:
- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR): The primary set of rules governing how federal agencies procure goods and services.
- Administrative Procedure Act (APA): Establishes rulemaking procedures and standards for federal and state agencies
- Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): The codified list of all federal regulations set by agencies. For example, Title 40 covers the EPA's environmental regulations.
- FISMA (Federal Information Security Management Act): Defines guidelines and security standards for government information and operations.
- CJIS (Criminal Justice Information Services): Sets requirements for agencies and vendors that access, process, or store Criminal Justice Information.
- NIST 800-53: Outlines security and privacy controls for government information systems and organizations.
- HIPAA: The national standards for the protection of health information.
- Additional state-specific data privacy and reporting requirements.
How Does Incident Management Software Support Compliance?
Paper records risk incidents. In 2022, 149,940 paper records were stolen from a storage facility used by a healthcare provider. HIPAA breaches and other compliance issues like these can be minimized using secure incident management software. Government incident reporting software helps organizations and nonprofits remain compliant through:
- Automated audit logs that track every action and update.
- Role-based access control (RBAC) to enforce data security.
- Templated reports for regulatory filings.
- Data encryption and retention policies compliant with government standards.
- Real-time tracking and escalation to meet response time SLAs.
What Compliance-Ready Incident Management Tools Should Agencies Look For?
When selecting an incident management platform, government agencies should prioritize the following tools.
End-To-End Audit Trails
When working with sensitive data, you want an account of every action taken with it, who has viewed it, and where the data has passed through. End-to-end audit trails feature in incident management software records every action taken. If a breach happens and your organization is audited, this can help you figure out what went wrong. Additionally, it's a solution you need to have for regulatory reviews.
Secure Access Control
When working with sensitive data, every person at your agency should be unable to look at every file. Secure access controls give administrators the power to choose which people access which data areas. Key elements of secure access control include:
- User Authentication and Authorization: Authentication verifies a user's identity via passwords, biometrics, or tokens, and authorization determines what actions and data those users can access within the system.
- Role-Based Access Control: Assign permissions based on user roles (such as administrator, responder, or viewer) so users only access information needed to complete their jobs.
- Group Permissions: Integration with single sign-on, SAML, or SCIM protocols for scalable and automated management of user access.
Custom Workflows
Once someone reports an incident, agencies need to resolve it as quickly as possible. For example, DoD (Department of Defense) contractors are required to report cyber incidents within 72 hours. Custom workflows can help organizations build out a process that enables them to meet this deadline. Government compliance software like PlanStreet offers automation of tasks, streamlining compliance processes by assigning tasks, sending reminders, and tracking progress without manual intervention.
Automated Reporting
Government agencies stay compliant by submitting lengthy reports showcasing how their agencies follow the rules and regulations. Reporting and analytics software simplifies this process with built-in templates for mandatory requirements. In software like PlanStreet, you can create a custom form to track incidents that exactly meet your organization's reporting needs.
Integrations
Depending on your organization's reporting requirements, you may have to utilize multiple software options. Incident management tools often integrate with broader governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) systems, supporting compliance management across your organization.
How Does PlanStreet Help Government Organizations Stay Compliant?
PlanStreet's incident management software helps government organizations stay compliant through robust security standards, configurable workflows, and comprehensive reporting tools designed specifically for the public sector.
PlanStreet empowers agencies due to our:
- FedRAMP Ready Infrastructure: PlanStreet has achieved FedRAMP authorization, a critical compliance requirement for US federal agencies using cloud-based solutions. Our software is built on secure cloud systems aligned with NIST 800-53.
- Comprehensive Audit Trails: PlanStreet maintains detailed records of all activities within the system, creating an immutable audit trail that is essential for demonstrating compliance during reviews and audits. Every form, update, and user action is recorded and timestamped.
- Customizable Reporting Templates and Workflows: Align output with federal or state-mandated formats. Agencies can tailor forms, workflows, and data fields to meet specific regulatory requirements, ensuring that compliance processes are seamless with daily operations.
- Automated Escalation Rules: Predefined instructions to trigger specific actions when incidents remain unresolved beyond a set timeframe or conditions. You can set up preset trigger conditions, automated notifications and reminders, and defined escalation paths.
- Mobile Access: A simple, intuitive interface with mobile access enables staff to report, manage, and monitor compliance activities from anywhere securely.
- Security First Mindset: PlanStreet uses FIPS 140-3 validated encryption and Azure-based Customer-Managed Keys (CMK) for full control over your data.
What Are Real-World Use Cases of Incident Management Software in Action?
Incident management software for government agencies keeps everyday citizens safe. Here are a few examples of how a solution like PlanStreet helps agencies:
- Law Enforcement Agencies: Log use-of-force incidents, automate CJIS-compliant reports, and track investigations.
- Public Health Departments: Monitor outbreaks, automate HIPAA-compliant alerts, and document community interventions.
- Housing Authorities: Log tenant complaints, safety violations, and response actions with built-in HUD compliance tracking.
- Title IX Compliance: Automated populated workflows to maintain the commended timeline, case management tools for educational institutions, and reporting to comply with federal mandates.
"PlanStreet gives us a place to keep our client information safe and organized." - Zeida Forrest, Project Director | The Parenting Center
How Can You Transition to a Compliant Incident Management System?
Transitioning to a compliant incident management system requires a plan and time to implement. We recommend the following steps when switching to a public-sector incident management solution:
- Check your compliance requirements: Assess which regulations and standards apply to your organization. Additionally, review the compliance requirements for your grants or grants you may be applying to (they may require NMIS adoption.)
- Gather a team: Choose a handful of people in your organization to manage the implementation of the software. These should be from different departments to ensure a smooth transition, such as volunteer coordination, IT, and emergency management.
- Complete a gap analysis: Study your current incident management processes, plans, and reporting systems against NIMS or other relevant standards to identify deficiencies. For a baseline assessment, try the National Incident Management Capability Assurance Support Tool (NIMCAST).
- Update and change internal policies: Adopt or upgrade systems to streamline incident reporting, tracking, and resolution so they support compliance. Establish processes for documenting incidents, near-misses, and corrective actions.
- Provide training and conduct exercises: Provide training with new policies and how to implement the software. Conduct exercises to test the system and update policies as needed.
Migrating from manual systems doesn't have to be overwhelming. PlanStreet supports agencies with white-glove onboarding, staff training modules, data migration support, and assigned compliance consultants.
Create a Safer, Compliant Environment With PlanStreet
Compliance isn't just a good practice; it's a legal requirement. Help your organization stay safe and secure with PlanStreet's compliance-ready incident management tools. We simplify incident and grievance intake, case management, reporting, and more.
Book a free demo today and see how PlanStreet enables faster response, better documentation, and airtight regulatory compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is incident management software for government agencies?
Incident management software helps government entities track, manage, and report incidents while ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations.
Why is compliance critical for government organizations?
Non-compliance can result in financial penalties, audit failures, reputational damage, and loss of public trust.
Which compliance standards must government agencies follow?
Key regulations include FISMA, CJIS, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, and various state-level privacy mandates.
How does incident management software ensure regulatory compliance?
Incident management software ensures regulatory compliance by providing audit trails, access control, automated reporting, secure data storage, and SLA-based escalation protocols.
What features should compliance-ready incident management software include?
Compliance-ready incident management software should include secure access controls, real-time audit logs, customizable reporting, integration capabilities, and automated workflows.
How does PlanStreet help agencies with compliance?
PlanStreet offers FedRAMP-ready infrastructure, FIPS encryption, customizable reports, mobile access, and compliance-focused features.
Can incident management software be used in law enforcement and health departments?
Yes, it supports use cases like CJIS-compliant reporting, HIPAA alerts, public health tracking, and safety violation logging.
What is the process of transitioning to a new incident management system?
It includes onboarding support, staff training, data migration, and access to compliance consultants.