Interconnections

Interconnections Module

This page contains information to assist our customers with utilizing the Interconnections module in RegScale. It describes what it is, why you would use it, the benefits, and provides instructions on getting started.

What is it?

A interconnect is the process of connecting two systems for the purpose of data exchange. Common synonyms for interconnections might include:

• APIs
• Web Services
• FTP/Batch Processing

Why would you use it?

Interconnections are commonly used to document and approve the process of exchanging data across system boundaries. Interconnections ensure you know where your data is going, who is responsible for it, and who approved the exchange. There are many reasons to manage interconnections which include:

• Understanding where your data is going
• Understanding the impacts of downtime on interconnected systems
• Obtaining formal approvals of all data exchanges
• Maintaining the lifecycle of interconnects over time

What are the benefits?

A strong interconnect management program results in multiple benefits for an organization; to include:

• Reduced risk of data loss
• Reduced risk of cascading downtime and unexpected problems for system outages
• Increased accountability for where company data is stored, processed, or transmitted
• Minimized access to data based on least privilege and need to know

How do I use it?

The Interconnections module in RegScale Community Edition (CE) provides a number of key features that are useful in managing a robust program, to include:

• Tracking approval and expiration dates for interconnections
• Relating interconnects to specific system boundaries
• Tracking related tasks and evidence
• Real-time tracking and dashboards
• Automation via our Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)
• Single pane of glass assignment tracking via our work bench
• Automated workflows for review and approval
• Interactive timeline builder
• Social collaboration via our News Feed (LinkedIn for Compliance) and real-time commenting system
• Secure document management with our file upload and encryption system
• Audit history including every view, update, print, email, etc.
• Calendar view to see interconnects expiring over time

For our Enterprise Edition (EE) customers, you get all the great features above, plus we add:

• Ability to create custom fields to extend the schema and build out customer specific data entry forms
• Integration with Microsoft Teams and Slack for real-time collaboration
• Ability to host a multi-tenant version to segregate data by site, customer, organization, etc. to run many different interconnection programs with complete data isolation from a single installation
• Real-time interactive dashboard with Microsoft PowerBI AddOn