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Meet the International Team
In 2022, we announced our latest Vanta milestone - expanding our international presence with a new European headquarters in Dublin and growing our team in Sydney. We’re hiring dozens of full-time employees in both locations over the next year. Want the inside scoop on what it's like to be part of our International rocketship? Check out insights from some of the new International Team.
Andrew Foley, Head of EMEA Sales
Meet Andrew!
I’m Andrew Foley and I am responsible for Vanta’s growth and operations in EMEA. Prior to working at Vanta, I helped grow Google’s productivity and cloud infrastructure businesses for 11 years. I started with Vanta in October 2022 and I’m leading the sales and customer success organizations.
How is the team built out?
I joined Vanta’s International Team as hire number four. Despite growing the team rapidly since then, it feels as if there’s everything still to build. And that’s what makes it so exciting.
Within our growth plan is a vision to build a team where the organizational posture mirrors how customers expect to be engaged.
How the team is built out now may not be how we orient ourselves in the future. As market expectations for automation and security evolve, so will we. Our mission, to secure the internet and protect consumer data, is a constant design principle leveraged in our organizational build outs. We’re happy to orbit around our customers as they grow and orbit around their customers.
Where are the teams located?
Our EMEA headquarters is in Dublin, where we congregate to spark ideas, bond over the love of security, and enjoy social time together. Not everyone resides in Dublin, with several based in London and further afield. We expect to have more European ‘locations of preference’ in the years ahead as Vanta EMEA grows.
Why did you decide to choose Vanta over other companies?
Having spent much of my career at one of the world's most renowned companies for mission driven culture and innovation, it was important to me that the next ship I set sail with is also an innovation hungry organization with an equally ambitious mission statement. Vanta, the once plucky little startup I’d heard about, has grown into a well-positioned scale up by innovating a new category in the security space.
Establishing a new category is impressive in itself, but it is Vanta’s mission to “secure the internet” that really attracted me to its future potential as a company. Having now worked alongside Vanta’s leadership and our EMEA team, I understand the intent and opportunity to make a difference is real.
Why are you excited about Vanta’s mission and product?
Who can argue that pursuing a mission to “secure the internet and protect consumer data” isn’t time well spent in one's career? Interestingly, breaking Vanta’s statement into two sections “securing the internet” and “protecting consumer data” opens up so many possibilities in two very important areas for how we engage with each other in the world.
The objectives of our mission statement are unlikely to be driven by Vanta single handedly (we get that), but I’m excited to pursue these in Vanta. I’m hopeful our efforts and accomplishments inspire further kindred spirits in our ecosystem to join us in the pursuit. It’s definitely a mission collectively worth fighting for.
What do you love most about living in Dublin?
The weather…no honestly…the weather. Even with the unpredictability of our rainfall making it difficult to know whether or not to pack an umbrella, we can thank Ireland’s sporadic wet days for driving us together indoors. Often into full, lively and laughter filled taverns, pubs, and eateries. Many of these Dublin establishments being the same places our playwrights frequented to be inspired by the wit, humor, and intellect of Dublin's people.
Some of the more unpredictable downpours have encouraged neighbors to open their homes to each other, which likely plays some small part in our world renowned openness and friendliness as a people. A trait that has encouraged many different nationalities to feel welcomed and at home living in a modern multicultural Dublin.
And last, but not least, the Wild Atlantic Way, reachable in a two hour drive, is a journey of tiny roads reaching out into the ocean full of dramatic cliffs, sensational lighthouses, and secluded beaches. Sculpted beautifully into a majestic landscape by our weather system. And to visit our west coast on one of our many dry sunshine filled days — we have these too — it's absolutely stunning.
Harriet Niland, Account Executive, UK and Ireland
Meet Harriet!
I’m part of the International Sales Team at Vanta supporting our EMEA clients. I’ve been with the company for about three months.
Tell us about your role at Vanta.
I spend the majority of my time educating new clients about our solutions and helping them start their journey towards compliance.
What made you realize this was the right career field for you?
I’ve been in various consulting sales roles for the past six years and early on realized how much I love learning about different companies and how they operate.
At Vanta, I spend a lot of time with founders for whom security and compliance is a primary concern. It’s really fun showing them how to leverage Vanta to solve those challenges within one platform.
I also get a buzz from problem solving with the wider team when the requirements are more particular. There’s a high degree of collaboration that has to happen across a sales team so I’m often working with our Customer Success, Solution Engineering, Product, and Support Teams to make sure we’re all on the same page about our customers’ goals and how to best get them there.
If you could go back to the start of your career, what advice would you give yourself?
Sales in a busy organization can feel like a constant sprint with lots of activities that all need to get done. Some advice I received early on is the importance of minimizing the noise and ruthlessly prioritizing what’s really important. For me, that’s focusing on the customer, making sure I understand their timeline, and working with them to achieve that.
And secondly, it’s so important to understand the wider organization outside of just your team. Connect with people across the business to learn about what they’re working on, see what you can learn from them, or how you can work together. This is a great opportunity to widen your network, get mentorship or start a new initiative.
What is your favorite thing about working at Vanta and in the International Team?
The best thing about being part of Vanta and the International Team is the pace at which we’re moving. A core focus for Vanta this year is supporting our international customers, which is why we’ve established our EMEA and APAC headquarters in Dublin and Sydney. I love seeing the team grow and can’t wait to see what the team looks like at the end of 2023. It’s already changed significantly in just two and a half months! EMEA startups and scaleups are heavily focused on privacy and security, so it’s fantastic to be able to meet them where they are.
Favorite book recommendation?
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg is one of the first business books I read (without it being assigned by a lecturer). One of my first managers gave it to me as a Christmas present and I’m forever grateful, although at the time I wasn’t sure what habit she was intending I change.
Essentially the book breaks down the science behind actions and rewards and gives you insight on how to break habits, or trick yourself into forming new ones. In sales, focusing on the outcome or the reward has helped me to change activities that aren’t working anymore. It’s encouraged me to get creative and try new things that eventually lead to repeatable results.
Outside of work it also (sometimes) helps minimize my chocolate biscuit intake and has slightly improved my gym attendance.
Determine whether the GDPR applies to you and if so, if you are a processor or controller (or both)
Do you sell goods or service in the EU or UK?
Do you sell goods or services to EU businesses, consumers, or both?
Do you have employees in the EU or UK?
Do persons from the EU or UK visit your website?
Do you monitor the behavior of persons within the EU?
If any of the above apply to your business, you’ll need to get GDPR compliant.
Create a Data Map by taking the following actions
Identify and document every system (i.e. database, application, or vendor) which stores or processes EU or UK based personally identifiable information (PII)
Document the retention periods for PII in each system
Determine whether you collect, store, or process “special categories” of data
racial or ethnic origins
genetic data
political opinions
biometric data that can uniquely identifying someone
religious or philosophical beliefs
health, sex life or sexual orientation data
trade union membership
Determine whether your Data Map meets the requirements for Records of Processing Activities (Art. 30)
the name and contact details of the controller
the purpose behind the processing of data
a description of the categories of data that will be processed
who will receive the data including data
documentation of suitable safeguards for data transfers to a third country or an international organization
the retention period of the different categories of data
a general description of the technical and organizational security measures
Determine whether your Data Map includes the following information about processing activities carried out by vendors on your behalf
the name and contact details of the processor or processors and of each controller on behalf of which the processor is acting, and, where applicable, of the controller’s or the processor’s representative, and the data protection officer
the categories of processing carried out on behalf of each controller
documentation of suitable safeguards for data transfers to a third country or an international organization
a general description of the technical and organizational security measures
Determine your grounds for processing data
For each category of data and system/application have you determined the lawful basis for processing based on one of the following conditions?
consent of the data subject
contract with the data subject
necessary for compliance with a legal obligation
necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject or a third party
necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller
necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by the controller or by a third party, except where such interests are overridden by the rights of data subject
Take inventory of current customer and vendor contracts to confirm new GDPR-required flow-down provisions are included
Review all customer contracts to determine that they have appropriate contract language (i.e. Data Protection Addendums with Standard Contractual Clauses)
Review all in-scope vendor contracts to determine that they have appropriate contract language (i.e. Data Protection Addendums with Standard Contractual Clauses)
Do your agreements cover the following items?
vendor shall process the personal data only on documented instructions (including when making an international transfer of personal data) unless it is required to do otherwise by EU or member state law
vendor ensures that persons authorized to process the personal data are subject to confidentiality undertakings or professional or statutory obligations of confidentiality.
vendor have adequate information security in place, technical and organizational measures to be met to support data subject requests or breaches
vendor shall not appoint or disclose any personal data to any sub-processor unless required or authorized
vendor shall delete or return all the personal data after the end of the provision of services relating to processing, and deletes existing copies unless Union or Member State law requires storage of the personal data;
vendor makes available all information necessary to demonstrate compliance and allow for and contribute to audits, including inspections
Have you performed a risk assessment on vendors who are processing your PII?
Determine if you need to do a Data Protection Impact Assessment
Is your data processing taking into account the nature, scope, context, and purposes of the processing, likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons?
Does your processing involve any of the following?
automated processing, including profiling, and on which decisions are based that produce legal effects
special categories of data or data related to criminal convictions and offenses
monitor publicly accessible area on a large scale.
If any of the above are true, you may need to conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment for existing and new data projects.
Review product and service design (including your website or app) to ensure privacy notice links, marketing consents, and other requirements are integrated
Do you have a public-facing Privacy Policy which covers the use of all your products, services and websites?
Does the notice to the data subject include the following items?
the identity and the contact details of the organization and its representative
the contact details of the data protection officer, if applicable
the purposes to process personal data and its legal basis for the processing
the recipients or categories of recipients of the personal data, if any
the details regarding any transfer of personal data to a third country and the safeguards taken applicable
Does the notice also include the following items?
the retention period, or if that is not possible, the criteria used to determine that period
the existence of the data subject rights (i.e. requests for information, modification or deletion of PII)
the right to withdraw consent at any time
the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
whether the provision of personal data is a statutory or contractual requirement, or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract, as well as whether the data subject is obliged to provide the personal data and of the possible consequences of failure to provide such data
the existence of automated decision-making, including profiling, and meaningful information about the logic involved, as well as the significance and the consequences
Do you have a mechanism for persons to change or withdraw consent?
Update internal privacy policies to comply with notification obligations
Update internal privacy notices for EU employees
Do you have an Employee Privacy Policy governing the collection and use of EU and UK employee data?
Determine if you need to appoint a Data Protection Officer, and appoint one if needed
Have you determined whether or not you must designate a Data Protection Officer (DPO) based on one of the following conditions (Art. 37)?
the data processing is carried out by a public authority
the core activities of the controller or processor require regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale
If you export data from the EU, consider if you need a compliance mechanism to cover the data transfer, such as model clauses
If you transfer, store, or process data outside the EU or UK, have you identified your legal basis for the data transfer (note: most likely covered by the Standard Contractual Clauses)
Have you performed and documented a Transfer Impact Assessment (TIA)?
Confirm you are complying with other data subject rights (i.e. aside from notification)
Do you have a defined process for timely response to Data Subject Access Requests (DSAR) (i.e. requests for information, modification or deletion of PII)?
Are you able to provide the subject information in a concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language?
Do you have a process for correcting or deleting data when requested?
Do you have an internal policy regarding a Compelled Disclosure from Law Enforcement?
Determine if you need to appoint an EU-based representative, and appoint one if needed
Have you appointed an EU Representative or determined that an EU Representative is not needed based on one of the following conditions?
data processing is occasional
data processing is not on a large scale
data processing doesn’t include special categories or data related to criminal convictions and offenses
doesn’t risk to the rights and freedoms of data subjects
a public authority or body
If operating in more than one EU state, identify a lead Data Protection Authority (DPA)
Do you operate in more than one EU state?
If so, have you designated the Supervisory Authority of the main establishment to act as your Lead Supervisory Authority?
Implement Employee Trainings to Demonstrate Compliance with GDPR Principles and Data Subject Rights
Have you provided appropriate Security Awareness and Privacy training to your staff?
Update internal procedures and policies to ensure you can comply with data breach response requirements
Have you created and implemented an Incident Response Plan which included procedures for reporting a breach to EU and UK Data Subjects as well as appropriate Data Authorities?
Do breach reporting policies comply with all prescribed timelines and include all recipients i.e. authorities, controllers, and data subjects?
Implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk
This includes pseudonymization/ encryption, maintaining confidentiality, restoration of access following physical/technical incidents and regular testing of measures
Have you implemented encryption of PII at rest and in transit?
Have you implemented pseudonymization?
Have you implemented appropriate physical security controls?
Have you implemented information security policies and procedures?
Can you access EU or UK PII data in the clear?
Do your technical and organizational measure ensure that, by default, only personal data which are necessary for each specific purpose of the processing are processed?
Consider streamlining GDPR compliance with automation
Transform manual data collection and observation processes into continuous monitoring
Download this checklist for easy reference
Develop a roadmap for successful implementation of an ISMS and ISO 27001 certification
Implement Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) process to recognize challenges and identify gaps for remediation
Consider ISO 27001 certification costs relative to org size and number of employees
Clearly define scope of work to plan certification time to completion
Select an ISO 27001 auditor
Set the scope of your organization’s ISMS
Decide which business areas are covered by the ISMS and which are out of scope
Consider additional security controls for business processes that are required to pass ISMS-protected information across the trust boundary
Inform stakeholders regarding scope of the ISMS
Establish an ISMS governing body
Build a governance team with management oversight
Incorporate key members of top management, e.g. senior leadership and executive management with responsibility for strategy and resource allocation
Conduct an inventory of information assets
Consider all assets where information is stored, processed, and accessible
- Record information assets: data and people
- Record physical assets: laptops, servers, and physical building locations
- Record intangible assets: intellectual property, brand, and reputation
Assign to each asset a classification and owner responsible for ensuring the asset is appropriately inventoried, classified, protected, and handled
Execute a risk assessment
Establish and document a risk-management framework to ensure consistency
Identify scenarios in which information, systems, or services could be compromised
Determine likelihood or frequency with which these scenarios could occur
Evaluate potential impact of each scenario on confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information, systems, and services
Rank risk scenarios based on overall risk to the organization’s objectives
Develop a risk register
Record and manage your organization’s risks
Summarize each identified risk
Indicate the impact and likelihood of each risk
Document a risk treatment plan
Design a response for each risk (Risk Treatment)
Assign an accountable owner to each identified risk
Assign risk mitigation activity owners
Establish target dates for completion of risk treatment activities
Complete the Statement of Applicability worksheet
Review 114 controls of Annex A of ISO 27001 standard
Select controls to address identified risks
Complete the Statement of Applicability listing all Annex A controls, justifying inclusion or exclusion of each control in the ISMS implementation
Continuously assess and manage risk
Build a framework for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving the ISMS
Include information or references to supporting documentation regarding:
- Information Security Objectives
- Leadership and Commitment
- Roles, Responsibilities, and Authorities
- Approach to Assessing and Treating Risk
- Control of Documented Information
- Communication
- Internal Audit
- Management Review
- Corrective Action and Continual Improvement
- Policy Violations
Assemble required documents and records
Review ISO 27001 Required Documents and Records list
Customize policy templates with organization-specific policies, process, and language
Establish employee training and awareness programs
Conduct regular trainings to ensure awareness of new policies and procedures
Define expectations for personnel regarding their role in ISMS maintenance
Train personnel on common threats facing your organization and how to respond
Establish disciplinary or sanctions policies or processes for personnel found out of compliance with information security requirements
Perform an internal audit
Allocate internal resources with necessary competencies who are independent of ISMS development and maintenance, or engage an independent third party
Verify conformance with requirements from Annex A deemed applicable in your ISMS's Statement of Applicability
Share internal audit results, including nonconformities, with the ISMS governing body and senior management
Address identified issues before proceeding with the external audit
Undergo external audit of ISMS to obtain ISO 27001 certification
Engage an independent ISO 27001 auditor
Conduct Stage 1 Audit consisting of an extensive documentation review; obtain feedback regarding readiness to move to Stage 2 Audit
Conduct Stage 2 Audit consisting of tests performed on the ISMS to ensure proper design, implementation, and ongoing functionality; evaluate fairness, suitability, and effective implementation and operation of controls
Address any nonconformities
Ensure that all requirements of the ISO 27001 standard are being addressed
Ensure org is following processes that it has specified and documented
Ensure org is upholding contractual requirements with third parties
Address specific nonconformities identified by the ISO 27001 auditor
Receive auditor’s formal validation following resolution of nonconformities
Conduct regular management reviews
Plan reviews at least once per year; consider a quarterly review cycle
Ensure the ISMS and its objectives continue to remain appropriate and effective
Ensure that senior management remains informed
Ensure adjustments to address risks or deficiencies can be promptly implemented
Calendar ISO 27001 audit schedule and surveillance audit schedules
Perform a full ISO 27001 audit once every three years
Prepare to perform surveillance audits in the second and third years of the Certification Cycle
Consider streamlining ISO 27001 certification with automation
Transform manual data collection and observation processes into automated and continuous system monitoring
Identify and close any gaps in ISMS implementation in a timely manner
Learn more about achieving ISO 27001 certification with Vanta
Book an ISO 27001 demo with Vanta
Download this checklist for easy reference
Download NowDetermine which annual audits and assessments are required for your company
Perform a readiness assessment and evaluate your security against HIPAA requirements
Review the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights Audit Protocol
Conduct required HIPAA compliance audits and assessments
Perform and document ongoing technical and non-technical evaluations, internally or in partnership with a third-party security and compliance team like Vanta
Document your plans and put them into action
Document every step of building, implementing, and assessing your compliance program
Vanta’s automated compliance reporting can streamline planning and documentation
Appoint a security and compliance point person in your company
Designate an employee as your HIPAA Compliance Officer
Schedule annual HIPAA training for all employees
Distribute HIPAA policies and procedures and ensure staff read and attest to their review
Document employee trainings and other compliance activities
Thoroughly document employee training processes, activities, and attestations
Establish and communicate clear breach report processes
to all employees
Ensure that staff understand what constitutes a HIPAA breach, and how to report a breach
Implement systems to track security incidents, and to document and report all breaches
Institute an annual review process
Annually assess compliance activities against theHIPAA Rules and updates to HIPAA
Continuously assess and manage risk
Build a year-round risk management program and integrate continuous monitoring
Understand the ins and outs of HIPAA compliance— and the costs of noncompliance
Download this checklist for easy reference
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