Many organizations, especially healthcare providers, fail to appreciate the value of getting the correct certifications and carrying out regular IT security audits. Keep in mind that certifications are not simply at the individual level. Organizations too must strive to acquire certifications like the Information Security Management System (ISMS) ISO 27001 (also known as ISO/IEC 27001:2013), SOC 2, HITRUST, etc. to demonstrate that they have the correct framework of policies and procedures to assure risk management processes are in place. Data security is as much about risk management as it is about proactive measures.
Protect Your Organization by Averting Breaches
It is not simply a matter of ensuring privacy, confidentiality, security, and integrity of data. Data is useless unless it is available, or at least accessible when required. The major area of concern, which is often overlooked when considering data security, is client confidence which can be shaken or even lost in the unfortunate event of a breach. Your customers might even stop engaging with you if their trust is shaken.
Apart from reputational loss, a breach adversely impacts brand value and market capitalization. You should run regular Risk Assessments, including Vulnerability Assessments, to do a gap analysis to avert breaches. Audits enable you to identify potential chinks in your IT security armor.
Plugging the Holes Is Critical
You MUST have proper Policies and Procedures (P&P) drawn up to ensure reasonably watertight data security compliance. You MUST also institute the necessary access controls, and train all personnel on the Do’s and Don’ts of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR ― EU),California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados(LGPD ― Brazil), Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA ― Canada), and other Privacy Laws and most of the applicable Security Rules, few listed above, depending on the domain, geographic regions, industry requirement, etc. where your organization needs to do business.
Assure Greater Transparency and More Stringent Compliance
Yet, there might be a massive security gap because your IT team forgot to verify network security; configure properly certain software which might or might not have zero-day vulnerabilities; test endpoint security, or wireless security. Only a proper audit carried out within the HITRUST framework would help identify such vulnerabilities. The Health Information Trust Alliance Common Security Framework (HITRUST CSF) enables healthcare organizations to test their compliance levels.
IT Security Audits Should Not Be Taken Lightly
Carrying out regular IT security audits is vital for every kind of organization, not just healthcare providers who are designated by the Security Rule of HIPAA as being “Covered Entities”. Whether your organization is in the finance sector, hospitality, or in research; the one activity you must undertake at least once a year is getting a security audit done for all devices used by the various personnel, including outsourced resources directly/indirectly working in/for your organization. Ideally, there should be penetration testing while checking for vulnerability issues, especially in sectors that require being particularly guarded about data.
Underscore Your Expertise and Credibility
Certifications are a way to demonstrate to the world that you have achieved significant expertise in a specific domain. ISO 27001:2013, SOC 2 Type 2, HITRUST, are data security standards that institute controls such as access control, information security policies, organization of information security, physical and environmental security, asset management, cryptography, operational security, human resources security, and vendor management, among others. ISO 9001:2015 certification demonstrates that your organization has in place the varied requirements for quality management systems.
PCI DSS:
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a vital certification for all organizations, especially online marketplaces that store, process, and/or transmit cardholder data. These are the technical and operational standards that you must follow to protect credit card data.
Your golden opportunity:
However, most people are not aware that it also matters from where you get your certification. We offer training, implementation, audits, and facilitate the certification process at an individual and organizational level.
We are there to work with you and for you and make your business operations a Certified Secured Business Unit.
