HITRUST i1 Assessment Background and Benefits

Key Takeaways

• Moderate-Level HITRUST Assurance: The i1 certification validates 182 cybersecurity and privacy controls for organizations with more mature and developed security programs/controls.
• Effective & Efficient: The i1 scope allows organizations to leverage their mature processes/control to achieve a more robust certification that provides vendors/customers with a greater level of assurance than the e1 at a much faster and limited costs than r2 assessments.
• Framework Alignment: HITRUST i1 builds off the 43 requirements incorporated into the e1 and integrates into the r2, along with standards like HIPAA, NIST, and ISO, to support baseline compliance needs and build for future r2 assessments.

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Compliance and framework assessments continue to be a prevalent topic and are necessary for organizations to maintain the appropriate security and privacy of data. Organizations continue to be challenged by vendors and customers to provide the appropriate information security measures necessary and to demonstrate compliance with a multitude of frameworks. Understanding all the options for assessments, audits, and certifications, as well as the differences between not only the frameworks but the benefits of each assessment, can guide organizations to choosing the correct framework and assessment.

Understanding HITRUST i1 Certification

The HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) provides a robust and comprehensive framework that integrates various regulatory frameworks, including HIPAA, NIST, and ISO. HITRUST currently offers three levels of validated assessments with the moderate level provided by i1 assessment. HITRUST i1 provides a moderate-level, one-year assessment that offers medium to complex organizations a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, addressing both current and emerging threats with a balanced set of security controls.

The i1 assessment focuses primarily on 182 requirements which are spread across the 19 HITRUST domains. The assessment offers significantly more protection and a higher assurance than the basic HITRUST e1. The HITRUST i1 also builds on the 43 requirements from the e1 and can be leveraged toward the most advanced of the HITRUST assessments, the r2 assessment. The integration allows organizations to continually build and adapt their HITRUST program to move from the e1 assessment directly to the i1 assessment while also laying the building blocks for the r2 assessment.

Benefits of the HITRUST i1 Certification

As discussed above, the HITRUST i1 assessment certification provides a one-year certification that provides assurance over moderate risk-based cybersecurity and privacy controls and processes. There are 3 defined benefits of going through the HITRUST i1 assessment and certification process that organizations can capitalize upon.

Moderate-Level HITRUST Assurance

The HITRUST CSF framework for i1 assessments focuses on 182 requirement statements that allow organizations facing moderate risk levels to benchmark their security and privacy processes against the HITRUST CSF. The certification provides assurance that the organization has reached a moderate level of maturity and has implemented a more robust cybersecurity program to mitigate those more advanced threats to their environment. The i1 certification further provides user entities of the organization with assurance that those more mature practices have also been validated and are implemented to a level sufficient for HITRUST to certify the implementation of those 182 requirements.

Less Cost and Effort Than the r2 Assessment

The HITRUST i1 assessment requires compliance and implementation with 182 security practices allowing organizations to complete the assessment faster and with less cost than the much more robust r2 assessments. The 182 requirements allow organizations to implement controls, complete the assessment, and have the external assessor validate the assessment in a matter of months. The i1 assessment may be an abbreviated version of the r2, but the process to achieve an i1 certification still requires substantial time and effort on behalf of the organization undergoing the assessment.

A Key Step in the Path to HITRUST r2

The 182 security controls that are required to achieve an i1 certification are also fully integrated into the more complex and robust r2 assessment. Integration allows an organization to fully benefit from the efforts made to achieve i1 certification as the security program matures and moves toward the HITRUST r2. The HITRUST i1 certification is the logical next step for organizations with e1 certifications and is the steppingstone to the more robust r2 assessment.

Vendors and third-party risk management and compliance are continuing to be increasingly important topics for all organizations. As organizations continue to assess and evaluate security and privacy frameworks, demonstrating compliance through independent assessments and audits has become the standard. The HITRUST i1 certification provides that solution through providing an assessment and certification with HITRUST CSF that provides a moderate level of assurance while still being achievable within a reasonable amount of time and cost.

If you are seeking more information on how a HITRUST assessment and certification can help your organization, visit our HITRUST and SOC services pages, and please contact Josh Bantz, CPA, CISA, CCSFP, CHQP, CCP, CCA with any questions.

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