In today's interconnected world, demonstrating robust cybersecurity and data protection is no longer optional—it's a fundamental requirement for building trust and ensuring business continuity. For organizations looking to establish a strong security posture, especially those handling sensitive data, the HITRUST e1 certification offers an excellent starting point. It provides a foundational, yet rigorous, assessment of essential cybersecurity hygiene, paving the way for broader compliance efforts.
This blog post summarizes our comprehensive guide on performing a readiness assessment for HITRUST e1 certification and highlights the major benefits your organization can gain.
Achieving HITRUST e1 certification involves a structured readiness assessment, designed to proactively identify and address security gaps before a formal validated assessment. This phased approach maximizes efficiency and significantly increases your chances of success.
Here’s a quick overview of the key phases:
Phase 1: Understanding & Scoping
This foundational stage is all about clarity and definition. It involves deeply understanding the specific 44 controls required for e1 certification, which primarily focus on the "Implemented" maturity level. You'll precisely define the scope of your assessment, mapping out data flows and identifying all in-scope systems, applications, and facilities that handle sensitive data. A crucial step here is ensuring that all systems within your defined scope have been operational and configured for at least 90 days. This phase also includes initiating your assessment object within the MyCSF tool, which will be your central hub for the entire process.
Phase 2: Gap Analysis & Remediation
This is the core of your readiness assessment. You'll conduct a thorough self-assessment, evaluating your existing policies, procedures, and actual implementation against each of the 44 e1 controls. For every control, you'll gather comprehensive evidence (such as policies, configuration screenshots, and activity logs) to demonstrate adherence for at least the last 90 days. Any discrepancies found become "gaps," for which you'll develop detailed Corrective Action Plans (CAPs). These CAPs clearly define who is responsible, the steps for remediation, target completion dates, and the status of the effort. Even if a gap is remediated during this phase, it should be noted as originally found, with the CAP demonstrating the improvement. Engaging a HITRUST Authorized External Assessor for this phase is highly recommended, as their expertise can streamline the process and offer invaluable guidance.
Phase 3: Final Review & Preparation for Validated Assessment
As you approach the validated assessment, this phase ensures you're fully prepared. It includes a rigorous internal quality assurance (QA) review of all your documentation and evidence to confirm accuracy and completeness. You'll ensure that all MyCSF entries are meticulously linked and that your policies, procedures, and implemented controls consistently cover your entire defined scope. Finally, you'll formally engage your chosen HITRUST Authorized External Assessor for the validated assessment and schedule the crucial HITRUST QA review date via the MyCSF Reservation System. Keeping this scheduled submission date is critical to avoid delays.
While the e1 certification is an entry point, its benefits are substantial and immediately impactful for organizations:
Demonstrates Foundational Cybersecurity Hygiene: The e1 certification explicitly focuses on "essential cybersecurity hygiene" and "cybersecurity best practices controls". This provides a clear, verifiable benchmark of your commitment to fundamental security practices. It assures stakeholders that your organization has implemented critical safeguards against common cyber threats.
Builds Trust and Competitive Advantage: Achieving any HITRUST certification, including e1, signals a strong commitment to data protection to customers, partners, and regulators. This can differentiate your organization in the market, especially in industries that handle sensitive information, fostering greater trust and potentially opening new business opportunities.
Efficient Entry into HITRUST Assurance: The e1 assessment is designed to be "less effort and cost than the typical HITRUST validated assessment". This makes it a more accessible starting point for organizations new to HITRUST, allowing them to gain a recognized certification without the immediate comprehensive overhead of an r2 assessment.
Stepping Stone for Future Certifications: The e1 certification is expressly designed as a "stepping-stone to validated assessment". Successfully achieving e1 provides a solid foundation and valuable experience, making the path to more extensive certifications like i1 or r2 significantly smoother in the future.
Proactive Risk Management: The readiness assessment itself is a powerful tool for proactive risk management. It enables your organization to identify and address security gaps they lead to incidents or compliance failures, reducing potential liabilities and improving overall security posture.
Streamlined Audit Process: By following the structured readiness process and utilizing the MyCSF platform, your organization will have its documentation and evidence organized and ready. This streamlines the external assessor's validation process, leading to a more efficient and less disruptive audit.