Client Profile
A global healthcare technology provider with over 10,000 employees and operations across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. The client initiated a strategic acquisition of a fast-growing healthtech SaaS startup to expand its digital care ecosystem. Due to the sensitive nature of healthcare data and regulatory complexity, ensuring secure application integration and compliance was paramount.
Challenges Faced
Key security concerns included:
- Critical application vulnerabilities identified in the acquired SaaS platform
- Disparate SDLC and DevSecOps practices between merging entities
- Gaps in HIPAA and GDPR compliance controls
- Lack of centralized visibility into third-party application risks
Solution
COE Security implemented a tailored M&A Application Security Assurance Program, combining:
- Application Risk Profiling: Conducted threat modeling and code-level security assessments
- Secure SDLC Harmonization: Standardized secure coding and CI/CD security practices
- Compliance Alignment: Mapped application controls to HIPAA, GDPR, and HITRUST
- Toolchain Integration: Unified SAST, DAST, and SCA tools across both engineering teams
Application Security Integration
- Conducted static and dynamic scans for 25+ business-critical apps
- Remediated 92% of critical vulnerabilities within the first 45 days
- Integrated security checks into CI/CD pipelines of both entities
- Introduced secure coding best practices via workshops for 60+ developers
- Established a shared application threat intelligence feed
Governance, Strategy & Readiness
- Defined application security KPIs aligned with board-level risk objectives
- Published a unified Application Security Policy and SDLC Playbook
- Automated compliance checks with CI policies for HIPAA and GDPR
- Conducted readiness assessments for HITRUST certification post-merger
COE Security Service Portfolio
- Application Security & DevSecOps
- Vulnerability Management
- Secure SDLC Consulting
- Cloud Security & Compliance
- Threat Modeling & Code Review
- Security Toolchain Integration
- GRC Automation & Regulatory Readiness
- Penetration Testing & Red Teaming
- M&A Cyber Risk Assessments
- Executive Cyber Advisory
Implementation Details
- Deployed AppSec toolchain across AWS and Azure environments
- Integrated both organizations’ CI/CD tools into a single DevSecOps pipeline
- Conducted joint training for developers, QA, and DevOps teams
- Documented remediation guidelines and security procedures
- Delivered bi-weekly risk dashboards to executive and audit teams
Results Achieved
- 92% critical vulnerability remediation within 45 days
- 3x faster application security testing via automated pipelines
- 100% HIPAA and GDPR mapping coverage for core applications
- Improved application security maturity from Level 1.5 to 3.8 (on a 5-point scale)
Client Testimonial
“COE Security turned a high-risk application integration into a security success story. Their leadership and technical depth gave us confidence throughout the M&A process.”