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  • Who Needs HITRUST Certification?

    Who Needs HITRUST Certification?

    Over the past two decades, the healthcare industry has undergone a seismic shift in the way that processes are operated and regulated. Thanks to revolutionary technological innovations and several sweeping pieces of legislation, healthcare entities have been strongarmed into changing with the times. The most notable example of this exodus-of-sorts is the medical industry’s shift in how they store confidential client information, painfully transitioning from physical record keeping to a digital storage format.   

    This forced change in practices was met with grumbling by some and flat out refusal by others, resulting in a lack of continuity, noncompliance, or only partial compliance. Naturally, the lack of cohesion created a virtual, frenzied feeding ground for hackers and cyber criminals seeking access to patient’s personal data. In response to this rampant rise in digital crime, the HITRUST framework was erected. Today, this security audit system forms the best defense against malicious attacks. So, if you’re a healthcare company, you’ll want to obtain a HITRUST certification

    Read on to discover how you can go about the process! 

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  • What Are the Different Types of HITRUST Assessments?

    What Are the Different Types of HITRUST Assessments?

    Ever since 1996, with the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), healthcare organizations have been assessing the risks that are associated with electronic health records (EHRs). Now, with nearly every hospital utilizing the latest gadgets in healthcare technology from cloud storage to automation to mobile tablets and devices, the need for protecting patient data is at an all-time high.

    To help manage and reduce the risk of data breaches, healthcare organizations promote the use of security frameworks. One such framework is the HITRUST community security framework (CSF). The reason this framework is among the most trusted in the healthcare industry is how it can be adjusted to fit any HIPAA mandate or new healthcare law — thus never leaving room for penalties due to security issues.

    In fact, it’s for this very reason healthcare organizations are starting to require their business associates to be HITRUST certified. If you’re considering HITRUST CSF, then you should be aware of the different types of HITRUST assessment.

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  • How Long Does it Take to Get HITRUST Certified?

    How Long Does it Take to Get HITRUST Certified?

    Over the past two decades, many healthcare companies have struggled to transition from physical to digital record keeping as mandated by the HITECH Act. Naturally, the convoluted changes, standards, and stringencies outlined therein have left businesses confused, scratching their heads, wondering how best to wade through this quagmire. As a result, the total overhaul of such a massive system has moved at a glacial pace. 

    To make matters more complicated, as the healthcare industry develops, growing evermore dependent upon emerging and expanding technologies in order to cache and deliver electronic healthcare records [EHR], ensuring compliance and maintaining cybersecurity has become an increasingly intricate ballet. A large aspect of compliance involves obtaining your HITRUST certification, which is no simple process. So, to help you prepare for the obstacles ahead, below, you’ll find our comprehensive guide on the HITRUST certification process and timeline.

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  • How HITRUST Regulates Risk Management in the Healthcare Indusry

    How HITRUST Regulates Risk Management in the Healthcare Indusry

    One of the greatest perils the healthcare community must confront involves the ever-present danger of major information security threats. To make matters worse, these are not stagnant hazards; rather, they’re continuously shifting and evolving in response to each newly erected digital moat, palisade, or bulwark. So, as the industry’s information communication technology [ICT] infrastructure becomes more complex and sophisticated, so too do the malicious programs and people seeking entrance into such systems. 

    Fortunately, defensive systems and protocols have been raised in order to ward off the hoards of 21st-century barbarians. Chief amongst these measures is HITRUST, which has become the industry standard for regulating and mitigating risk. But what are the major cybersecurity risks in healthcare and how does HITRUST help prevent them

    Read on to discover the answers to these questions and more!  

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  • How Do HITRUST and NIST Work Together in Data Protection?

    How Do HITRUST and NIST Work Together in Data Protection?

    HITRUST vs. NIST

    With the passing of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996 came the need to update healthcare records onto electronic devices. Although, the adoption of these electronic health records (EHRs) primarily came later, when the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was passed in 2009. With the combined set of rules and regulations, being both HIPAA and HITECH compliant became a complex puzzle for healthcare organizations to piece together.

    But data and data security issues weren’t going to wait. With the significant proliferation of computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices, data security and privacy regulations needed to be streamlined and enforced. Thus, frameworks for data security and security compliance were created.

    NIST and HITRUST are both frameworks that help healthcare organizations stay HIPAA compliant to avoid penalties for data security breaches. Though the question then becomes: which framework should be used, and are the two compatible? To explore these questions and more, read ahead.

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  • How to Boost Your Cyber Security With Email Encryption

    How to Boost Your Cyber Security With Email Encryption

    In the last decade, the world of cybercrime has been a growing industry. Per the Official 2019 Annual Cybercrime Report performed by the Herjavec Group, cybercrime is projected to create global costs of $6 trillion, a cost increase of 100% in just five years. In response to this growing and evolving threat, companies have been forced to look for vulnerabilities in their perimeter defenses, and then enact further security controls. 

    A common theme of such assessments has been that the most exposed area of any company is their email security. So, if you’re looking to revamp your cybersecurity, a great place to start is with your email. To that end, below we’ll discuss the particular threats shoddy email security poses to your business and recommended steps you can take to better protect it, including email encryption

    Read on to find out ways to improve your email security. 

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  • Challenges with Cloud Encryption

    Challenges with Cloud Encryption

    A recent study by Crowd Research Partners showed that 300,000 security professionals of LinkedIn deemed cloud encryption the most trusted security technology today. While these experts agree that encryption is the most effective approach to data security in the cloud, it can be challenging. There are so many types of encryption services available in the online marketplace. All kinds of organizations, from small to big businesses, find these services promising yet they can be confusing and complicated. 

    In this article, we will tackle cloud storage security issues with encryption and understand the challenges, issues, and mistakes that prove that encrypting data is not always the sole solution to prevent data breaches

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  • What Does HITRUST Stand For?

    What Does HITRUST Stand For?

    In a rapidly evolving, digital healthcare industry, the protection of your private data is more important than ever. As the years have passed and the U.S. healthcare industry made the slow transition from physical to digital recordkeeping, various laws and measures were enacted to better protect customers and ensure that healthcare-related organizations were acting in compliance.

    One avenue through which a healthcare organization will achieve compliance is via the HITRUST Alliance. Naturally, you may read this and wonder, what does HITRUST stand for? So, if you want the answer to that and much much more, read on to discover everything you need to know about HITRUST. 

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  • How to Find a Managed IT Service Provider

    How to Find a Managed IT Service Provider

    For over a decade now, the business domain has changed drastically. Small to large organizations are now transitioning digitally to keep up-to-date with the information technology trends. They depend on a pool of third-party vendors to aid them with the assets they need to develop and meet the requirements of their customers. 

    How do these businesses accurately keep up with the ever-growing IT industry? To drive business growth, these organizations outsource help from service companies. These third-party organizations are called managed IT service providers

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  • 10 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Managed IT Services

    10 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Managed IT Services

    The most recent trend today in the business domain is managed IT services. This business model is so successful that according to statistics, by this year, managed IT services are expected to grow by as much as $190 billion. Moreover, by 2022, these services are projected to see growth by a staggering $257 billion. What is it about managed services that made it the spotlight in the IT industry? All business sizes are very much in favor of these managed IT services. But why?

    Managed IT services offer computer network support and IT management. It provides cost-effective services for improving and developing business processes and operations. These services help free up in-house IT teams to focus more on vital IT strategies and projects.

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