As cyberattacks grow more sophisticated and breaches become more common, healthcare organizations are increasingly aware of their need to partner with experienced security and compliance professionals to help mitigate their cybersecurity and compliance risks. To address these concerns, Fortified Health Security, a leader in information security, compliance and managed services focusing solely in the healthcare industry, recently launched its new Virtual Information Security Program (VISP), Managed Data Loss Prevention (DLP) and 24/7/365 Security Information Event Monitoring (SIEM) offerings.
Through VISP, Fortified provides a comprehensive panel of security professionals with the expertise and capability of an in-house CISO/ISO that is available 24 hours a day/seven days a week, without the associated level of overhead and benefits required when adding another top-level executive. VISP can be delivered through a team of security and compliance professionals or an individual expert to fill gaps in staffing and expertise.
VISP can be added to an organization within days instead of the months that a search for a full-time ISO typically takes. It also provides a fresh, independent perspective, free of organizational politics and culture, so healthcare organizations can concentrate on what’s best for the business.
Managed DLP makes DLP – an advanced security solution historically mostly available to larger organizations with greater resources – now accessible, affordable and manageable for community hospitals. This dynamic tool allows hospitals to proactively manage where sensitive data is sent and how it is received so they can meet compliance and regulation requirements such as the HIPAA Security Role, PCI, Joint Commission and state privacy regulations. DLP tools provide a number of mechanisms to analyze risks to ePHI per the HIPAA Security Role and help limit ePHI access to the “Minimum Necessary.” Fortified Health Security delivers Managed DLP through product licensing and monthly monitoring services.
Managing log data is another big challenge for healthcare organization as it can be extremely labor-intensive and not only puts an enormous amount of stress on existing resources, but has the ability to detract from daily operations. Failure to implement a proper logging process can translate to many thousands of dollars in liability for non-compliance, remediation and other related expenses. Information systems can also be tough to properly monitor due to their dynamic nature. It is imperative that persons knowledgeable with security incidents across many operating systems assist in proper event monitoring.
Fortified is now offering Security Information & Event Monitoring (SIEM) to address these challenges. SIEM provides around the clock monitoring for HIPAA Security Rule compliance by utilizing custom-built reporting modules, macros and taxonomies. SIEM also works in conjunction with Fortified’s other security services, such as vulnerability management, to assist organizations in meeting HIPAA security provisions. Proper monitoring and log management helps demonstrate compliance for patient information security as a part of an ongoing operational security process.
Fortified Health Security works alongside healthcare organizations to build tailored programs designed to leverage their prior security investments and current processes. The Fortified team understands the nuances of healthcare IT environments and can lead successful DLP deployments by implementing proven polices and effective, on-going alert management. As with all of the services provided by Fortified Health Security, it’s the company’s mission to empower every healthcare organization with the most effective solutions to mitigate cybersecurity and compliance risks.
Article by Dan L. Dodson, President of Fortified Health Security