Part 1: The Following Tools And Resources Will Be Needed

Part 1: The Following Tools And Resources Will Be Needed To Complete Th

Part 1: The following tools and resources will be needed to complete this project: Course textbook, Internet access, and suggested resources including NIST RMF, NIST risk assessment guidance, NIST contingency planning guidance, Business Impact Analysis, and Business Continuity Plan (Ready.gov). The project involves developing a comprehensive risk management plan for Health Network, Inc., a fictional health services organization with multiple locations, core products, and significant exposure to various threats including data loss, theft, outages, internet threats, insider threats, and regulatory changes. The assignment requires researching existing risk management plans, creating an outline, writing an introduction, defining the scope and boundaries, summarizing relevant compliance laws, identifying key roles, developing a schedule, and drafting the plan. The final document should resemble a professional business report, citing sources in APA style, and be 4-6 pages long.

Paper For Above instruction

Developing a comprehensive risk management plan is essential for any organization, especially in the highly sensitive and regulated healthcare sector represented by Health Network, Inc. This plan serves as a strategic framework that enables the organization to identify, assess, and mitigate potential threats to its information systems and operational continuity. Given the extensive organization, multiple locations, and diverse products, a structured risk management approach ensures proactive protection of critical assets, compliance with laws, and resilience against disasters or attacks.

The scope of this plan encompasses all three corporate data centers, supporting roughly 1,000 servers, along with the company's 650 laptops and mobile devices. It also extends to the organization's main products—HNetExchange, HNetPay, and HNetConnect—that handle classified health information, financial transactions, and personal data of healthcare providers and patients. The boundaries include threats originating internally and externally, from hardware failures and theft to cyberattacks and regulatory shifts, which could severely impact the organization's operations and reputation. Importantly, the plan emphasizes the importance of aligning risk mitigation strategies with organizational objectives and legal requirements.

Research indicates that effective risk management in healthcare organizations conforms to established standards like those provided by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST’s Risk Management Framework (RMF) offers a step-by-step process for categorizing information systems, selecting appropriate controls, and continuously monitoring security measures (NIST, 2021). Regulatory compliance is vital, with laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) shaping security standards (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2022). These laws mandate safeguarding sensitive health information, imposing penalties for breaches, and requiring organizations to implement robust security and privacy controls.

Within the organization, key roles and responsibilities for risk management include senior management providing strategic oversight, the IT department managing technical controls, compliance officers monitoring legal adherence, and operational managers ensuring departmental adherence. Establishing clear responsibilities facilitates accountability, fosters a security-conscious culture, and streamlines response efforts during crises (ISO/IEC 27001, 2013). Developing a realistic schedule for ongoing risk assessment, control implementation, and review cycles—such as quarterly evaluations—ensures the plan remains current against emerging threats.

In sum, a well-structured risk management plan integrates organizational context, regulatory compliance, resource allocation, and proactive threat mitigation, thereby bolstering the organization’s resilience and trustworthiness in safeguarding health data. Such a plan supports Health Network’s mission to provide reliable, secure health services amid evolving cybersecurity landscapes.

References

  • NIST. (2021). Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
  • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2022). HIPAA Privacy Rule and Security Rule. Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/security/index.html
  • ISO/IEC 27001. (2013). Information technology — Security techniques — Information security management systems — Requirements. International Organization for Standardization.
  • Ready.gov. (2020). Business Continuity Planning Suite. Retrieved from https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity
  • Friedman, B., & Sweeney, L. (2019). The Regulation of Personal Data: European Union and United States. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 43(2), 329–339.
  • Business Impact Analysis: Development, Implementation, and Maintenance. (2018). National Institute of Standards and Technology.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2019). Business Continuity Plan (BCP). Retrieved from https://www.fema.gov
  • Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2020). Risk Management Practices for Healthcare and Public Health Sector. CISA Publication.
  • American Health Information Management Association. (2021). Risk Management and Data Security in Healthcare. AHIMA Journal.
  • Office for Civil Rights. (2022). Summary of the HIPAA Security Rule. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

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