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All project submissions should follow this format: Format: Mi

Scenario

You are an information technology (IT) intern working for Health Network, Inc. (Health Network), a fictitious health services organization headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Health Network has over 600 employees throughout the organization and generates $500 million USD in annual revenue. The company has two additional locations in Portland, Oregon and Arlington, Virginia, which support a mix of corporate operations. Each corporate facility is located near a co-location data center, where production systems are located and managed by third-party data center hosting vendors.

Company Products

Health Network has three main products: HNetExchange, HNetPay, and HNetConnect. HNetExchange is the primary source of revenue for the company. The service handles secure electronic medical messages that originate from its customers, such as large hospitals, which are then routed to receiving customers such as clinics. HNetPay is a Web portal used by many of the company’s HNetExchange customers to support the management of secure payments and billing. The HNetPay Web portal, hosted at Health Network production sites, accepts various forms of payments and interacts with credit-card processing organizations much like a Web commerce shopping cart.

HNetConnect is an online directory that lists doctors, clinics, and other medical facilities to allow Health Network customers to find the right type of care at the right locations. It contains doctors’ personal information, work addresses, medical certifications, and types of services that the doctors and clinics offer. Doctors are given credentials and are able to update the information in their profile. Health Network customers, which are the hospitals and clinics, connect to all three of the company’s products using HTTPS connections. Doctors and potential patients are able to make payments and update their profiles using Internet-accessible HTTPS Web sites.

Information Technology Infrastructure Overview

Health Network operates in three production data centers that provide high availability across the company’s products. The data centers host about 1,000 production servers, and Health Network maintains 650 corporate laptops and company-issued mobile devices for its employees.

Threats Identified

Upon review of the current risk management plan, several threats were identified, including:

  • Loss of company data due to hardware being removed from production systems
  • Loss of company information on lost or stolen company-owned assets, such as mobile devices and laptops
  • Loss of customers due to production outages caused by various events, such as natural disasters, change management, unstable software, and so on
  • Internet threats due to company products being accessible on the Internet
  • Insider threats
  • Changes in regulatory landscape that may impact operations

Management Request

Senior management at Health Network has determined that the existing risk management plan for the organization is out of date and a new risk management plan must be developed.

Because of the importance of risk management to the organization, senior management is committed to and supportive of the project to develop a new plan. You have been assigned to develop this new plan. Additional threats other than those described previously may be discovered when re-evaluating the current threat landscape during the risk assessment phase. The budget for this project has not been defined due to senior management’s desire to react to any and all material risks that are identified within the new plan. Given the company’s annual revenue, reasonable expectations can be determined.

Project Part 1 Task 2: Risk Assessment Plan create a draft of the risk assessment (RA) plan. To do so, you must: Develop an introduction to the plan explaining its purpose and importance. Create an outline for the RA plan. Define the scope and boundaries for the RA plan. Research and summarize RA approaches. Identify the key roles and responsibilities of individuals and departments within the organization as they pertain to risk assessment. Develop a proposed schedule for the RA process. Create a professional report detailing the information above as an initial draft of the RA plan.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction

The risk assessment plan is a crucial element for health services organizations like Health Network, Inc. As the organization strives to secure its information technology assets and customer data, an effective risk assessment plan enhances its resilience against potential threats and vulnerabilities. Given the rapid evolution of technology and the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, it is imperative that Health Network develops a comprehensive and proactive risk management strategy to safeguard not only its business operations but also the sensitive data of its clients.

This plan will outline the framework for identifying, analyzing, and mitigating risks associated with Health Network's products and operations. By establishing clear roles and responsibilities, reporting structures, and a timeline for assessment processes, the organization will be better positioned to respond dynamically to the challenges presented by its operating environment.

Outline for the Risk Assessment Plan

  • Introduction
  • Purpose and Importance of the Risk Assessment Plan
  • Scope and Boundaries
  • Research and Summarization of Risk Assessment Approaches
  • Roles and Responsibilities
  • Proposed Schedule for the Risk Assessment Process
  • Conclusion

Scope and Boundaries

The scope of the risk assessment plan will encompass all facets of Health Network’s operations, including its data centers, products (HNetExchange, HNetPay, and HNetConnect), and personnel. The boundaries will define the limits of the assessment process, specifying that while all identified threats will be evaluated, certain external factors like market fluctuations or unexpected regulatory changes that fall outside direct operational control may not be included in this risk assessment. This will ensure that the organization concentrates on actionable risks that directly impact its operational capabilities.

Risk Assessment Approaches

Risk assessment approaches can be categorized into qualitative and quantitative methods. Qualitative assessments focus on descriptive measures of risk, involving subjective judgments about the likelihood and impact of risks based on historical data and stakeholder input. Quantitative assessments utilize numerical analysis to derive risk metrics, allowing organizations to prioritize risks based on measurable impact and likelihood scores. A hybrid approach that includes both methodologies will be adopted for Health Network, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation of potential threats.

Roles and Responsibilities

Key roles within Health Network for the risk assessment process will include the following:

  • Risk Management Team: Responsible for conducting the risk assessments, analyzing data, and developing mitigation strategies.
  • IT Department: In charge of implementing technical controls to mitigate identified risks and maintaining the infrastructure.
  • Compliance Officer: Ensures adherence to regulatory requirements and manages audits related to risk management.
  • Senior Management: Provides oversight and ensures that risk management aligns with business objectives.
  • Employees: Responsible for adhering to guidelines, reporting potential risks, and participating in training initiatives.

Proposed Schedule for the Risk Assessment Process

The following schedule outlines the timeline for the risk assessment process:

  • Week 1-2: Define roles and gather data on existing threats.
  • Week 3-4: Conduct qualitative assessments of identified risks.
  • Week 5-6: Quantitative analysis of higher-risk areas.
  • Week 7: Develop mitigation strategies for key risks.
  • Week 8: Present findings to senior management for feedback and adjustments.
  • Week 9: Finalize the risk assessment report.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the development of a risk assessment plan is not merely a regulatory compliance exercise but a strategic initiative integral to the sustainability and operational effectiveness of Health Network, Inc. By comprehensively assessing the potential risks and establishing clear mitigation strategies, the organization positions itself to better protect its assets, enhance customer trust, and ensure continued success in the dynamic health services marketplace.

References

  • Li, B., & Wang, Y. (2020). Risk Management in Information Technology: An Overview. Journal of Information Systems Engineering & Management, 5(1).
  • Pitt, W. R., & McDonald, L. (2019). IT Risk Assessment and Management: A Practical Approach. International Journal of Information System, 15(3), 45-56.
  • ISACA. (2021). Risk Management Framework. Retrieved from ISACA.
  • Pullen, J. & Harer, J. (2023). Framework for Risk Assessment in Health Organizations. Healthcare Technology Letters, 10(2).
  • Smith, G. E. (2022). Comprehensive Cybersecurity Strategy for Healthcare. Health Informatics Journal, 28(4).
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2018). Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. NIST.
  • Huang, L. (2021). The Role of IT Governance in Cyber Risk Assessment. Journal of Cybersecurity, 14(5).
  • Cisco. (2020). The Importance of Risk Management in Healthcare. Retrieved from Cisco.
  • American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). (2019). Security and Privacy: A Risk Assessment Framework. Journal of AHIMA, 90(8).
  • ISO 31000:2018. Risk Management Guidelines. International Organization for Standardization.

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