Kiteworks Guide to the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security Standard

Introduction

The comprehensive Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security Standard (ADHICS) was established by the Department of Health in 2019 to bolster privacy and security across the healthcare sector. Obtaining certification demonstrates facilities’ commitment to appropriately managing sensitive patient information. Core requirements cover 11 domains including access controls, communications security, operations management, and health information protection. For instance, strict physical safeguards must be in place restricting entry to areas with health data. Patient information shared electronically requires encryption. Extensive identity and access controls are expected with role-based permissions and routine revalidation. Multi-factor authentication is mandated for all administrative system access. Standardized change management processes must govern system modifications, and data backup procedures are required.

Complying with these baseline provisions reduces risks from unauthorized data usage or modification. Implementing the controls signals facilities prioritize patients’ confidentiality rights. This upholds public trust in the healthcare ecosystem while facilitating digital advancements like health information exchanges between authorized providers. Beyond bolstering data protections, the Standard improves accountability, enhances system reliability, and reduces business uncertainties. Fulfilling the baseline technical and policy demands requires initial financial investments but noncompliance poses far greater dangers regarding reputational damages, legal liabilities, and continuity of operations. Thus, healthcare providers across Abu Dhabi see conforming since 2020 as imperative for delivering secure, ethical care.

The Kiteworks Sensitive Content Tracking, Control, and Protection Platform Enabling a Private Content Network

Kiteworks’ FedRAMP and FIPS 140-2 compliant file sharing and governance platform enables organizations to share sensitive information quickly and securely while maintaining full visibility and control over their file-sharing activities. The Kiteworks platform provides:

Secure File Sharing

Kiteworks enables secure collaboration through multi-layered defenses, including firewalls, encryption, and customer-owned keys to isolate threats.

Governance and Compliance

Kiteworks reduces compliance risk and cost by consolidating advanced content governance capabilities into a single platform. Whether employees send and receive content via email, file share, automated file transfer, APIs, or web forms, it’s covered.

Simplicity and Ease of Use

Kiteworks enables secure file sharing and collaboration among organizations, individuals, and third-party organizations. When users interact with these files, the access controls and permissions of the integrated solutions govern authorization while auditing captures activity.

Comprehensive Auditing

Complete, timely activity logs track uploads, downloads, access attempts, and admin actions, and other events feed security information and event management (SIEM) systems to enable centralized monitoring, alerting, and reporting pivotal for control oversight.

Kiteworks Guide to the Abu Dhabi Healthcare Information and Cyber Security Standard

Section 1: Human Resources Security

Human Resources Security

Kiteworks Solution

Recognizing personnel as crucial yet vulnerable assets, ADHICS aims to minimize insider threats via mandatory safeguards. Stringent background checks for candidates and contractors are necessitated by data and system access risks. New hires must formally accept security terms detailing their responsibilities prior to any credential provisioning. Monitoring administrative staff and cleaning crews also mitigates risks. Required security and acceptable usage policy briefings must precede any staff or third-party access. Regular training updates coupled with annual awareness campaigns reinforce best practices and close knowledge gaps. A formal disciplinary process is crucial for personnel committing security violations to stress accountability given inevitable breach incidents. Strict access management controls activation upon employee exits or transfers entail revoking all credentials tied to former roles while carefully governing new privilege assignments. Communication protocols must inform all relevant parties of departures and transfers. Signed non-disclosure agreements further prevent post-employment data possession. Additional controls aim to lessen errors, unauthorized activities, compliance issues from poor security grasp, and unattended device incidents. By mandating tight data access controls, continual learning, and responsive breach handling, ADHICS upholds patient privacy despite healthcare progress. Extensive safeguards are necessitated for securing the human domain alongside digital assets. While people risks cannot be fully eliminated, extensive activity management preserves data protection. As indispensable yet vulnerable components, personnel must have security ingrained across access, awareness, and accountability.

Granular access controls allow permissions to be tailored to individual user roles with default least-privilege restrictions. Access is governed through predefined collaboration roles (Owner, Manager, Collaborator, etc.) activated at the file or folder level. Administrative capabilities also utilize role-based access, automatically warning on unsafe configurations. These tools support access revocation upon employee exits while preventing unauthorized usage or data leakage. Comprehensive activity logging provides visibility into failed logins, uploads/downloads, admin actions, and other events. This aids oversight of potential policy violations. Furthermore, custom login banners can reinforce acceptable usage policies and mandate security terms acceptance prior to granting access. Kiteworks’ logging helps provide audit trails to accelerate investigation of breaches traced back to specific users. Logs are secured against tampering as well, accessible only by certain administrative roles. Access governance, monitoring, and auditing tools facilitate ADHICS requirements around background verification, privilege and permission management, awareness reinforcement, and breach accountability. They ultimately aid the overarching goals of securing valuable data from compromise while managing the risks inherent to human handlers through extensive activity controls.

Section 2: Asset Management

Asset Management

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates that healthcare entities maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date inventory of all information assets supporting care delivery including data, devices, applications, systems, and infrastructure. Granular relations must be established between these various asset types like the specific apps running on servers or medical devices utilizing certain data. Clear ownership should be designated for each asset to authorize access/usage and define appropriate risk controls. Rules are also required around acceptable asset use that all employees formally acknowledge. Addressing emerging bring-your-own-device risks is a core expectation as well. Classifying assets into one of four categories (Public, Restricted, Confidential, Secret) based on value and protection needs is essential. Classification should determine specialized handling procedures and drive security requirements including for data retention, communication, and storage. A process for reassessing classifications is needed when asset value or environment changes. Additional policies must exist for managing removable media, medical devices, and asset disposal/destruction. Protecting devices through access controls, encryption, and physical safeguards is compulsory. Control procedures are also needed governing asset removal or transfer. All media, equipment, and systems must undergo secure wiping prior to redeployment or departure. ADHICS mandates consistent frameworks for categorizing, tracking, handling, and protecting assets across all formats and through all life-cycle stages. This facilitates compliance, security, and appropriate resource allocation according to centralized valuations. Reviewing and updating asset inventories as environments evolve ensures these foundations remain current.

Granular access controls facilitate appropriate privilege assignment to individual roles while default least-privilege restrictions minimize unnecessary exposure. Access is governed through predefined collaboration roles (Owner, Manager, Collaborator, etc.) activated at the file or folder level to authorize usage. Comprehensive activity logging tracks failed/successful uploads, downloads, deletions, modifications, and access attempts to provide oversight into how assets are handled. Logs are secured against tampering, only accessible by certain administrators. Robust data protection measures ensure assets are securely managed including permanently deleting files so they cannot be recovered after users delete them. No backups with residual copies are retained either. Data retention policies can also auto-delete content after specified periods, adding expiration requirements for assets. Remote wipe capabilities apply to lost/stolen devices too, preventing asset exposure if equipment is compromised. Custom web forms support gathering digitized information as well, securely transmitting and storing submitted data with encryption. This facilitates electronic asset collection for various purposes like patient consent. Overall, these access governance, monitoring, and protective tools facilitate ADHICS requirements around acceptable asset use rules, inventory maintenance, handling procedures tailored to classification levels, and proper asset disposal. They assist appropriately securing data from compromise throughout its life cycle.

Section 3: Physical and Environmental Security

Physical and Environmental Security

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates appropriate physical safeguards to protect facilities and equipment from environmental threats and unauthorized access. This covers data centers, medical devices, paper records, and other assets storing sensitive information. Policies and procedures are required governing environmental protection, surveillance, access barriers, utilities continuity, and visitor management. Defining secure areas and security perimeters is compulsory based on asset value and processing criticality. Strict access control enforcements like authentication, access logs, alarm systems, and CCTV monitoring should supplement physical protections. Owners must also be designated for managing and regularly reviewing access to restricted zones. Safeguards are expected for natural disasters and power failures to sustain equipment availability. Guidelines must exist for cable management, unattended device security, maintenance procedures, and off-site protections during transport. Standards around proper equipment siting/positioning factor environmental risks in as well. Security controls should match asset classification levels and risk assessment outcomes. Securing devices, preventing unauthorized usage, and upholding data integrity require multi-layered procedural and technical protections against foreseeable threats. Annual policy reviews and user acknowledgement ensure relevance amidst operating environment changes. In essence, ADHICS recognizes physical and environmental measures as foundational for information security. Hardening facilities, sustaining utilities, permitting only authenticated access, and preparing for disasters uphold functionality, availability, and effective emergency response.

The hardened virtual appliance “shifts security left” through rigorous secure development practices and assumes breach by architecting multi-layered protections around assets via microsegmentation, endpoint hardening, embedded firewalls, and encryption. This creates secure zones for external interfaces, metadata storage, content repositories, etc. to contain threats. Comprehensive activity logging tracks failed/successful logins, data access attempts, admin actions, and other events to provide oversight into system use. Logs are secured from tampering and only accessible to certain admins based on least privilege. Alerts also trigger on suspicious activities, indicating a potential persistent threat or compromise. Privileged credentials are further protected by supporting multiple MFA forms (biometrics, TOTPs, etc.) to augment per-user permissions and access requirements. SAML, OAuth, LDAP, and other standards integrate with existing identity providers as well for authentication and auditing purposes. Access governance, monitoring, and protective tools facilitate ADHICS requirements around visitor management, utilities redundancy, surveillance controls, environmental protections, and physical barriers aligned to asset criticality. Together, they secure equipment against unauthorized usage while upholding data integrity through layered procedural and technical safeguards.

Section 4: Access Control

Access Control

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates strict access governance over healthcare information and systems to minimize unauthorized usage, tampering, loss, and leakage. Policies and procedures must enforce permission requirements justifying data access through roles supporting care delivery. Additional patient consent may be necessitated for some access instances as well. Unique identifiers and complex passwords are compulsory for authentication. Multi-factor forms are expected for privileged accounts along with extensive activity logging and routine entitlement reviews. Access must be revoked upon employee exits while inactive sessions elicit automated termination. Utilizing service accounts for daily tasks is prohibited in order to contain compromise risks. Special care must be applied when granting access to mobile devices and equipment at remote sites such as teleworking locations or home systems. Random audits of such environments validate whether adequate controls exist. Various network access and routing restrictions should complement user identity tools to further defend systems and equipment. Wireless connections warrant particular safeguarding whereas guest access always requires isolation from production networks. In summary, authorization limitations paired with strong authentication and auditing provide core safeguards while layered network protections create security zones to contain threats. By managing access, oversight, and boundaries vigorously, exposure to sensitive systems and data remains contained.

Granular access controls allow configuring need-to-know permissions and visibility policies on a per-user and per-folder/file basis. Predefined collaboration roles (Owner, Manager, etc.) activated at the folder level further enforce least-privilege defaults. Multi-factor authentication options provide additional credential protection for privileged accounts. Comprehensive activity logging tracks failed/successful logins, data access attempts, admin actions, and other events to monitor policy compliance. Logs are secured from tampering and only accessible by certain admins. Alerts also trigger on suspicious activities, indicating potential persistent threats. The hardened virtual appliance “shifts security left” through rigorous secure development practices and assumes breach by architecting multi-layered protections around assets via microsegmentation, endpoint hardening, embedded firewalls, and encryption. This creates secure zones isolating external interfaces from internal data to contain threats. Wireless connections leverage strong encryption while network access and routing restrictions complement identity tools to further defend environments. Rules also enforce session timeouts during user inactivity. These access governance, monitoring, and layered security models align with ADHICS requirements for need-to-know access criteria, extensive logging, revocation protocols, layered network defenses, and mobile device protections. This safeguards healthcare systems and data integrity.

Section 5: Operations Management

Operations Management

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates that healthcare entities implement robust policies and procedures governing all operational activities involving data, applications, systems, devices, and equipment. This covers change controls, baseline configurations, standard operating procedures, capacity planning, malware defenses, quality checks, backup protocols, monitoring, and more. Requirements aim to increase security, efficiency, control, and consistency while reducing errors, unauthorized changes, and compromise risks. For example, altering production environments requires formal change advisory board approval to minimize unplanned impacts. Similarly, strict separation must exist between development, testing, staging, and operational environments. Additional expectations exist around establishing capacity thresholds and growth forecasts to sustain performance. New systems and changes necessitate security-focused acceptance testing before deployment as well. Compulsory monitoring procedures are also multifaceted from usage statistics to policy compliance audits to security breach indicators. Centralized logging, time synchronization, and patch management expectations round out prevention aspects. Independent risk assessments must occur annually while third-party remediation data cannot persist offline indefinitely. Destroying residual findings maintains confidentiality. Overall, the focus is creating standardized maintenance, deployment, monitoring, and defense processes that embed security, accountability, efficiency, and reliability attributes during ongoing enhancement efforts.

Kiteworks provides extensive logging visibility through a consolidated audit trail covering uploads, downloads, access attempts, admin actions, and other critical system events. These comprehensive logs feed security information and event management (SIEM) solutions continuously to enable centralized monitoring, alerting, and reporting. By securing audit logs from tampering while delivering extensive oversight into activities, Kiteworks facilitates policy compliance checks, performance benchmarking, change tracking, and security incident response support. The platform also deeply integrates both defensive and offensive security practices through its entire secure development life cycle. Defensive aspects include test automation, code reviews, and reactive measures like rapid patch creation and delivery. Offensive facets encompass penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and bug bounty programs that proactively identify emerging exploits through ethical hacking incentives. Comprehensive threat protection capabilities also integrate through customizable data loss prevention, anti-malware, and email security tools. Quarantine procedures auto-activate when malware appears, while layered detection technologies like antivirus, sandboxing, and endpoint hardening contain advanced threats. Built-in high-availability options plus external integrations further bolster resilience and continuity. Robust logging visibility, rigorous systemic hardening procedures, and resilient protection capacities address ADHICS requirements around change control enforcement, quality checks, backup protocols, monitoring, and more. With extensive oversight capabilities and proactive self-testing, Kiteworks sustains secure and consistent operations governance.

Section 6: Communications

Communications

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates securing all information exchange and infrastructure to facilitate appropriate sharing while safeguarding data. Policies and procedures must enforce encryption, access controls, formal agreements, and other protections for data in transit or exchanged internally and externally. Requirements aim to regulate integration methods and points, physical transfer means, online transactions, wireless networks, business system connections, etc. For example, guidelines must exist on sharing within entity boundaries and with partners that mandate interoperability standards, non-disclosure agreements, and security requirements in provider contracts. Special care is required when communicating personal health information or other sensitive data. Protections encompass encryption, secure channels for credentials, classifying media, and tracking mechanisms. Transfer through public systems or cloud services is prohibited for healthcare data as well. For network infrastructure, documenting all components, centralizing access management, implementing firewalls, and segregating traffic based on criticality is compulsory. Wireless networks warrant particular attention regarding authentication mechanisms, physical placement of access points, and isolating guest networks. The focus is standardized processes that enable secure exchange and sharing both internally and with trusted external parties. Safeguarding communications, transactions, transit, and parameters upholds integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information.

The platform enables extensive logging to track uploads, downloads, access attempts, admin actions, and other critical system events. These comprehensive logs feed security information and event management (SIEM) solutions continuously to enable centralized monitoring, alerting, and auditing. Logs are also secured from tampering and only made accessible to certain admin roles. The hardened virtual appliance “shifts security left” by applying rigorous secure development practices and assuming breach through architecting multi-layered protections. These encompass microsegmentation, endpoint hardening, embedded firewalls, and cryptographic controls creating secure zones for external interfaces, internal data flows, etc. Zero-trust principles then isolate related services, enforce token-based intercommunication, and provide key management options, ensuring customer ownership. Double encryption at both the file and disk levels safeguards information at rest while data loss prevention, anti-malware, and email security integrate, providing comprehensive data protections. Built-in high availability and external ties facilitate resilience and continuity. Access governance, systemic hardening, protective capacities, and resilience functionalities address ADHICS requirements around communication infrastructure defense, information exchange controls, physical transfer protections, wireless connections, and more, securing internal/external data flows and transactions.

Section 7: Health Information and Security

Health Information and Security

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates strict governance over healthcare data to uphold patient privacy rights and public trust. Policies and procedures must enforce permissions, usage criteria, accountability, protections, etc. around sensitive information. Requirements aim to minimize unauthorized access, modifications, leakage, and loss events through both physical and digital safeguards. For example, specialized orientation, stricter desk cleanliness enforcement, access constraints to records, and shred-all policies before disposal help contain exposure. Monitoring and limiting printing, isolating cleaning personnel, and mandating encryption during electric communications bolster protections as well. Breach notification procedures to regulators is also compulsory when incidents potentially occur. However, prevention is ideal and security should embed across human resources, devices/systems, facilities, transfers, etc. in a multi-layered approach. Special care is required when communicating or sharing health data even for continuity of care. Usage justification, patient consent, and minimum necessary principles typically apply to records access. The focus is sustaining reliability in healthcare systems by upholding stringent custodianship over sensitive data. As trust anchors for personal/behavioral information, facilities must demonstrate commitment through comprehensive policy and vigilance. Security and privacy cannot be afterthoughts but rather requisites for ethical, progressive care.

The platform enables double encryption for files at rest—once at the operating system level as reading/writing occurs and again utilizing a separate key for the file contents. This “assumed breach” architecture ensures that even compromised OS access cannot decrypt content blobs without the additional credentials. No backdoors exist for staff or external authorities to decrypt private data either, upholding patient ownership and consent principles. Comprehensive access controls allow configuring need-to-know permissions and visibility policies on a per-user and per-folder/file basis. Predefined collaboration roles (Owner, Manager, etc.) activated at the folder level further enforce least-privilege defaults. Login banners can also reinforce acceptable usage terms before granting access. Extensive activity logging tracks failed/successful login attempts, data access tries, admin actions, and other events to provide oversight into system use. Logs help identify policy violations and are secured from tampering. Alerts also trigger on suspicious activities, indicating potential persistent threats. These strict access governance, usage visibility, and protective capacities address ADHICS requirements around healthcare information custodianship, access constraints, auditing, encryption, and more. This supports upholding patient privacy across the data life cycle. Security and compliance cannot be afterthoughts in progressive, ethical care but rather central challenges that sophisticated tools like Kiteworks help address.

Section 8: Third Party Security

Third Party Security

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates stringent governance over third-party services to uphold data protections and minimize breach risks. Policies and procedures must enforce due diligence, contractual obligations, monitoring, and controls tailored to partners. Requirements aim to regulate integration points, access provisions, data flows, etc. to contain exposure. For example, right-to-audit and compliance verification terms within agreements facilitate oversight. Monitoring exchange activity and managing incidents are compulsory as well to identify policy violations. Special considerations around healthcare data or sensitive information necessitate additional protections like non-disclosure agreements, encryption requirements, and security posture assessments of partners. Authorization must also be explicit regarding data elements made accessible. Service providers must formally acknowledge all security expectations including privacy commitments, access restrictions, protection demands, legal obligations, etc. Roles and responsibilities for both parties require unambiguous delineation too. Changes to partner environments, data needs, or provisions should undergo standardized change management. Security and performance baselines with regular internal audits and reviews ensure conformance. Overall, the focus is comprehensive due care given inherent accountability sharing. Embedding custodianship, compliance, and vigilance across third-party selection, onboarding, daily operations, and offboarding reduce organizational exposure. Pre-emptive protections and oversight controls safeguard infrastructure.

Kiteworks facilitates several directives around third-party governance. The Enterprise Connect feature enables accessing external repository content through predefined folders within the platform. When users interact with these files, the access controls and permissions of the integrated solutions govern authorization while auditing captures activity. These integrations thus enable standardized external data usage while still ensuring proprietary protections, retaining logs, and applying least-privilege need-to-know standards. Custom login banners also reinforce acceptable usage policies and can mandate security term reviews before granting access. These prompts facilitate compliance across internal and external users alike. Comprehensive activity logging additionally tracks failed/successful login attempts, data access tries, admin actions, and other events to provide oversight into system interactions. Logs help identify policy violations and are secured from tampering. Alerts also trigger on suspicious activities, indicating potential persistent threats. These features of governance, usage visibility, and protective capacities address ADHICS requirements around third-party security policy requirements, integration frameworks, service monitoring, access constraints, auditing, and more. Together, these features assist upholding patient privacy by embedding custodianship across tools. Kiteworks provides the contractual controls, logging visibility, and secure architectures necessary for oversight across business associate relationships. Embedding compliance into platforms facilitates trust and protects progressive data exchanges from compromise.

Section 9: Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance

Information Systems Acquisition, Development, and Maintenance

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates that healthcare entities implement secure system development life cycles and rigorous provider selection processes given technology reliability and security impacts. Policies and procedures must enforce protection requirements in contracts, stringent testing, training, audits, and due diligence tailored to partners and solutions under consideration. Requirements aim to embed privacy and resilience attributes early while ensuring rigorous oversight across design, testing, integration, deployment, maintenance, etc. For example, providers undergo reviews on security posture and government regulation alignment while procured systems or services must satisfy standardized acceptance criteria. Change controls are also compulsory for existing solutions. Special care is required when deploying medical devices, distributed applications, etc. to enforce encryption, integrity checks, availability, etc. Needs analysis, risk assessments, and security specifications must inform all selection and development processes. Supply chain diversity, evaluating delivery channels, and business continuity plans guard against disruption threats as well. Code reviews, quality checks, and key management expectations also apply. Regulated, secure measures that enable services enhancement without introducing unacceptable exposures is the priority. Aligning implementations with industry standards through initial vendor vetting and ongoing verification sustains modernization efforts.

The platform leverages a hardened virtual appliance containing the minimal necessary components to operate securely. Rigorous DevSecOps practices encompassing automation, penetration tests, bug bounties, and design reviews shift security left across the entire pipeline. These enable rapid identification and patching of exploits through ethical hacking incentives. The zero-trust architecture assumes breach by default and layers protections around assets. These include network firewalls, web application firewalls, IP blocking, microsegmentation, sandboxing, and encryption measures that minimize attack surfaces. Sensitive data at rest utilizes double encryption while cryptographic communications isolate internal services. Keys remain customer-owned, ensuring privacy and compliance. Ongoing vulnerability management and one-click updates facilitate prompt security enhancements as well. Integrated clustering, failover options, and deployment flexibility (on-premises, cloud, air-gapped, etc.) bolster resilience. The system prevents insider access absent explicit customer permissions. Systemic hardening procedures, protective capacities, and resilience functionalities address ADHICS requirements around supply chain diversity, delivery validation, acceptance testing, cryptographic controls, and more. This upholds security and continuity objectives throughout ongoing maintenance and delivery efforts. With extensive integration and self-testing, Kiteworks sustains trusted operations.

Section 10: Information Security Incident Management

Information Security Incident Management

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates that healthcare entities implement robust incident response and reporting procedures to address service disruptions. Dedicated computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) must form with adequate training, funding, and authority to guide activities. Response plans should cover threat intelligence gathering, evidence gathering/preservation, notifications, drills, and documenting lessons learned. Classifying occurrences based on criticality determines escalation and response workflows. Test procedures then validate that plans effectively handle incidents and identify any gaps needing remedy. Communication protocols facilitate appropriate information sharing around actual or potential events both internally and with partners like regulators. Weakness identification expectations require formal intake channels so personnel and external parties can report compromised controls, flaws, etc. This continuous vulnerability feedback cycle enables enhancing defenses and systemic resilience. Additional requirements aim to nurture an awareness culture around priorities and risk environments so cybersecurity enhancements remain focused on operational realities. Participating in shared warnings further contextualizes potential impact. The emphasis is standardized handling procedures that enable effective, trusted response and recovery when incidents inevitably occur. Lessons from adverse events also inform successful policy and technology adaptation to prevent recurrences. Together these sustain delivery commitments by managing incidents and harnessing collective knowledge.

Kiteworks facilitates several directives around security event oversight and response. The platform aggregates extensive system activity logging covering logins, data access, admin actions, policy changes, and other events. Logs feed security information and event management (SIEM) solutions out-of-the-box to enable holistic monitoring, alerting, and reporting. Splunk integrations are also available for enhanced analyses. Comprehensive visibility empowers oversight into compliance, performance, modifications, incidents, and more. Alerts trigger automatically on suspicious activities, indicating potential persistent threats or compromises. Logging coupled with embedded intrusion detection and pre-emptive monitoring thereby aligns with ADHICS guidance on documenting cybersecurity events, weaknesses, and occurrence response protocols. While specific computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) remain an organizational responsibility, Kiteworks provides strong forensic foundations for investigation through inalterable, detailed audit logs. Logs link activities to distinct users and time frames, enabling accountability. Built-in notifications and automatic quarantines further facilitate response agility during adverse events. Monitoring, alerting, and protective capacities address ADHICS requirements around incident planning, test procedures, evidence gathering, communication workflows, documentation, etc. With extensive logging and oversight, Kiteworks sustains trusted operations even in suboptimal scenarios.

Section 11: Information Systems Continuity Management

Information Systems Continuity Management

Kiteworks Solution

The ADHICS Standard mandates that healthcare entities implement robust business continuity plans covering critical systems and services. Dedicated strategies must align with organizational incident response, disaster recovery, and resilience programs. Documentation should outline specific roles, responsibilities, escalation protocols, and activation triggers. Scenarios for information security events require particular provisions to sustain delivery despite adverse cyber events. Central requirements include identifying essential systems and data sources supporting key processes, risks impeding availability, mitigation tactics, and validation procedures. Testing continuity plan effectiveness is compulsory before reliance during actual incidents. Tests evaluate response capabilities, reveal plan inadequacies, and improve recovery time/integrity. Results should inform ongoing enhancements accounting for operational/technology changes. Maintenance expectations also require reassessing strategies following activations or shifts in business needs, systems, or risk exposures. Continual policy and plan updates thereby sustain relevance. The emphasis is integrated continuity planning sustaining healthcare operations through disruptions. Embedding cyber resilience alongside physical/environmental protections provides layered assurances across threat vectors. Aligned contingency management bolsters trust in progressive care commitments surviving inevitable challenges.

Configurable banner messages at login enable communication of guidance during incidents for adapting user behaviors. Custom admin roles then facilitate response coordination by those overseeing mitigation and recovery. Comprehensive activity logging covering user actions, policy changes, unauthorized access attempts, and more creates an audit log to inform forensic investigations after restoration. Logs feed security information and event management (SIEM) solutions as well to monitor events in real time when reacting. Responsibilities require delineation in broader business continuity plans. The hardened virtual appliance assumes breach by default and layers protections around assets via segmentation, encryption, etc. Zero-trust principles then isolate related services through tokenization, further containing threats. Ongoing vulnerability management and one-click updates facilitate prompt security enhancements as well. Integrated clustering, failover options, and flexible deployment models (on-premises, cloud, etc.) enable resilience. Response orchestration, activity oversight, layered security model, and flexible delivery options address ADHICS requirements around planning, roles/responsibilities, training, assessment, etc. They bolster resilience commitments, surviving inevitable disruptions. With strong foundations, Kiteworks sustains trusted operations through adverse scenarios.

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