Most SMB owners across Massachusetts think data protection compliance is for bigger companies.
Then they get the letter from the AG’s office.
201 CMR 17 applies to every business that stores Massachusetts customer personal information
Your size doesn’t matter. Your industry doesn’t matter.
If you have names paired with credit cards, SSNs, medical records, or driver’s licenses, you’re required to protect that information.
What happens if you ignore this?
- – A housing operator was hit by a phishing attack and paid a $795K penalty.
- – An employment service provider paid a $200K+ settlement for failing to have a
Written Information Security Program (WISP).
These weren’t Fortune 500 companies. These were businesses like yours.
Here’s a quick compliance check. Can you answer yes to all five?
- Customer data is encrypted
- Staff are trained on cyber risk annually
- A written WISP document exists
- IT vendors are vetted for risk
- An incident response plan is ready
If you hesitated on any of these, you’re more exposed than you think.
The businesses winning aren’t treating 201 CMR 17 as overhead.
They’re using it to win regulated clients, secure better insurance rates, and build trust that separates them from competitors who are still cutting corners.
