NIST CSF and HIPAA compliance: Know your true state with SHI’s CSAW

In the modern workplace, cybersecurity is everyone’s job. But for healthcare organizations, that makes maintaining HIPAA compliancy all the more difficult. Distributed workforces, on-the-go devices, and virtual visits all add risks and complexity to the safety and security of healthcare data.

A great way bolster your HIPAA compliance is to follow the NIST cybersecurity framework (NIST CSF). NIST CSF addresses gaps in data security (among many other topics) and includes a HIPAA crosswalk to guide healthcare organizations like yours through the ways NIST CSF compliancy correlates to HIPAA.

NIST CSF is so thorough, it’s even considered mandatory for federal entities and their contractors.

But knowing where to begin on your NIST CSF journey can feel like playing Scrabble^® in a foreign language – you simply have no clue what your next move should be.

Let’s clear the fog by breaking down which NIST maturity level aligns with your organization’s current state, and how, with expert guidance, you can swiftly remedy the gaps and risks posing the biggest threats to your NIST CSF and HIPAA compliancy.

What’s your NIST maturity level?

Your NIST maturity level measures your ability to identify, detect, protect against, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats. Accurately determining where your organization falls is the first critical element in improving your cybersecurity state and aligning with NIST CSF and HIPAA compliancy. The four NIST maturity levels are:

Level one: Partial

Your organization falls into the lowest maturity level, partial, if your cybersecurity risk management strategy is either nonexistent or undocumented. Partial level organizations address cyberthreats reactively rather than proactively, and thus are at significant risk for breaches and attacks.

Level two: Risk-informed

If your organization’s leadership is aware of your security risks but have yet to implement an organization-wide risk management strategy, then you align with level two – risk-informed. At this level, your organization likely has some processes in place to protect your data, but you still rely on reactive responses to cyberthreats.

Level three: Repeatable

At maturity level three, repeatable, your organization can replicate the processes you have in place to identify and respond to cyberthreats and security risks. You have a formal risk management strategy with clear policies dictating the what, when, where, why, and how of your security response.

Level three is the bare-minimum recommended level for your organization, as it’s the baseline for maintaining an effective defense against modern threats.

Level four: Adaptable

Level four, adaptable, is the highest NIST maturity level your organization can achieve. At this level, you continuously evolve your security posture to proactively respond to emerging threats. You regularly conduct threat and risk assessments – and swiftly act on the results.

As an adaptable organization, you leverage advanced analytics and continuous flows of data to attain actionable insight into the effectiveness of your cybersecurity strategy.

Define your objectives with an expert-guided CSAW

If your organization is at the lowest levels of NIST maturity, your data is at significant risk of being lost or stolen through breaches, ransomware, and leaks. But how do you actually know which level your organization falls into? With stakeholders and IT teams already heavily occupied with day-to-day tasks, it can be straining to attempt the holistic security assessment you need.

With SHI’s cybersecurity awareness workshop (CSAW), you gain actionable insight from our cybersecurity experts to improve your security posture, increase your NIST maturity level, and achieve and maintain HIPAA compliance.

With our four-phased approach, our experienced Network and Security Services team will collaborate with your staff and conduct stakeholder interviews and informative workshops to gain a deep understanding of your environment.

We’ll then deliver prescriptive recommendations and templates to help you define the missing pieces of your NIST CSF puzzle. You’ll have clear visibility into your current state, as well as a roadmap for improving your maturity level and achieving HIPAA compliance.

Meet HIPAA compliance – and maintain it

Awareness is your first step toward keeping data secure against ever-evolving threats. When you leverage SHI’s CSAW, you’ll have the guidance you need to close gaps and prevent risks.

Whether you’re short on cybersecurity talent, are time- and resource-constrained, or just need a helping hand getting started, SHI’s CSAW is an excellent way of jumpstarting your path to simultaneously meeting NIST CSF and HIPAA compliance.

At the conclusion of your CSAW, you’ll receive:

• An executive summary presentation
• A full technical report
• Your NIST CSF review and scorecard
• Security Posture Review (SPR) workbooks

These deliverables help you prioritize your security objectives and stay on track to achieve your ideal – and compliant – risk management and cybersecurity state.

To solve what’s next for your data security with SHI’s CSAW, contact our cybersecurity experts today.