Client Profile
A regional healthcare provider with 500+ employees across multiple clinics and offices. The organization had recently experienced a third-party data exposure and faced increased scrutiny around HIPAA compliance, vendor risk, and incident readiness. They needed expert cybersecurity leadership but couldn’t justify a full-time Chief Information Security Officer (CISO).
Challenges Faced
Key security concerns included:
- No in-house cybersecurity leadership or long-term strategy
- Gaps in regulatory compliance documentation (HIPAA, HITECH)
- Poor visibility into vendor risks and third-party exposures
- Lack of formal incident response planning and risk assessments
Solution
COE Security implemented a tailored Virtual CISO (vCISO) Program, combining:
- Security Strategy & Governance: Defined a multi-year security roadmap tied to business goals
- Compliance Readiness Support: Built controls and documentation aligned with HIPAA standards
- Vendor Risk Management: Implemented a third-party risk assessment framework
- Incident Response Planning: Developed, documented, and tested an actionable IR plan
Strategic Cybersecurity Oversight On-Demand
- Led quarterly board-level security reviews and risk briefings
- Prioritized and tracked remediation efforts via virtual GRC platform
- Established KPIs and maturity models for security initiatives
- Guided procurement of critical security tools within budget
- Identified shadow IT and improved internal control over SaaS use
Governance, Risk, and Compliance Leadership
- Created policy framework including Acceptable Use, IRP, and Data Classification
- Facilitated Business Impact Assessment and HIPAA Risk Assessment
- Initiated annual tabletop exercise with department heads
- Implemented continuous monitoring dashboards for PHI and PII risks
COE vCISO Advisory Portfolio
- Cybersecurity Program Development
- Policy & Procedure Creation
- HIPAA & Regulatory Mapping
- Security Awareness & Training
- Incident Response Planning
- Third-Party Risk Management
- Board-Level Cyber Risk Reporting
- Security Tool Advisory & Procurement
- Risk Register & Roadmap Tracking
- Virtual GRC & Compliance Dashboards
Implementation Details
- Onboarded within 1 week using COE’s FastTrack Governance Model
- Integrated with client’s existing MSP, HR, and legal teams
- Conducted gap assessments, interviews, and document reviews
- Built a 12-policy library tailored to healthcare regulatory needs
- Delivered monthly strategic reports and compliance heatmaps
Results Achieved
- 95% alignment to HIPAA security rule within 90 days
- Reduced average vendor onboarding time by 40% through risk triage
- Achieved “Low Risk” audit rating in first external security audit
- Executive awareness and engagement score rose from 2.3 to 4.7 (out of 5)
Client Testimonial
“COE’s vCISO service gave us immediate credibility, structure, and strategic oversight. We now have visibility, accountability, and the tools we need to move forward with confidence.”