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Healthcare

Enhancing Data Security and Cloud Management for a Healthcare Organization

Healthcare data being encrypted during transmission and storage within a cloud environment.

Focus Areas

Cloud Security and Governance

Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Data Protection and Encryption

Business Problem

A large healthcare organization undergoing cloud migration faced increasing challenges with securing sensitive health data, managing distributed cloud environments, and maintaining continuous compliance. The lack of centralized control, inconsistent identity policies, and unmonitored cloud workloads exposed the organization to regulatory risk and potential breaches. A scalable solution was required to enforce cloud security, govern access, and strengthen resilience across platforms.

Key challenges:

  • Multi-Cloud Complexity: Disparate configurations across AWS and Azure environments lacked consistent security policies.

  • Limited Visibility: Inadequate cloud monitoring tools made it difficult to track data flows and system vulnerabilities.

  • IAM Gaps: Overly broad permissions and inconsistent role management created access control risks.

  • Compliance Burden: Manual audit preparation for HIPAA and HITRUST compliance consumed extensive resources.

  • Unencrypted Data and Assets: Several workloads and databases operated without encryption or backup standards.

The Approach

Curate partnered with the healthcare organization to architect a secure, compliant cloud ecosystem. This included automating identity management, establishing cloud security baselines, and integrating real-time monitoring tools. A robust governance framework was implemented to reduce risks and ensure ongoing cloud hygiene and compliance.

Key components of the solution:

  • Discovery and Requirements Gathering:

    • Cloud Infrastructure Audit: Assessed current security postures across AWS, Azure, and on-prem hybrid environments.

    • Risk and Compliance Analysis: Mapped technical controls to HIPAA and HITRUST requirements.

    • Access Review: Analyzed IAM policies, user roles, and third-party access to identify privilege escalation risks.

    • Stakeholder Workshops: Gathered input from IT, compliance, security, and DevOps teams to align priorities.

  • Solution Design and Implementation:

    • Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM): Deployed tools like Prisma Cloud and Azure Security Center for visibility and control over cloud resources.

    • IAM Modernization: Integrated Okta and Azure AD to centralize identity federation, enforce MFA, and implement least-privilege access.

    • Data Encryption and Backup: Applied end-to-end encryption (AES-256) for data in transit and at rest, with automated backup policies across all environments.

    • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Standardized secure infrastructure deployment using Terraform with embedded security modules.

    • Continuous Compliance Monitoring: Used tools like Drata and AWS Config Rules to track compliance drift and auto-remediate policy violations.

  • Process Optimization and Change Management:

    • Cloud Governance Board: Formed to define cloud usage policies, security standards, and risk response procedures.

    • Security Training and Certification: Conducted AWS/Azure cloud security workshops and HIPAA compliance bootcamps for staff.

    • DevSecOps Pipeline Integration: Embedded security scanning and policy checks into CI/CD workflows.

    • Audit Readiness Automation: Created templates and dashboards for audit traceability and evidence collection.

Business Outcomes

Reduced Risk of Data Breaches


Centralized visibility and enforced encryption policies dramatically reduced the organization’s exposure to threats.

Streamlined Access Controls


Granular role-based permissions minimized overprivileged access and internal threats.

Regulatory Compliance Achieved


Automated reporting and real-time compliance checks ensured sustained HIPAA and HITRUST alignment.

Optimized Cloud Resource Management


FImproved cloud workload monitoring, tagging, and automation reduced costs and increased operational efficiency.

Sample KPIs

Here’s a quick summary of the kinds of KPI’s and goals teams were working towards**:

Metric Before After Improvement
IAM misconfiguration incidents 25/month 3/month 88% reduction
Time to audit readiness 6 weeks 1.5 weeks 75% faster
Data assets with encryption gaps 32% 0% Full Compliance
Cloud resource visibility coverage 60% 98% 63% increase
Alert response time 12 hours 1 hour 92% Improvement
**Disclaimer: The set of KPI’s are for illustration only and do not reference any specific client data or actual results – they have been modified and anonymized to protect confidentiality and avoid disclosing client data.

Customer Value

Secure and Scalable Cloud Footprint


Delivered a future-ready infrastructure aligned with clinical and operational growth.

Continuous Compliance Assurance


Enabled consistent regulatory adherence with minimal manual effort.

Sample Skills of Resources

  • Cloud Security Engineers: Architected secure multi-cloud environments and CSPM integrations.

  • IAM Specialists: Defined access roles and implemented centralized authentication.

  • Compliance Analysts: Mapped and monitored HIPAA/HITRUST controls.

  • DevOps Engineers: Developed secure, scalable CI/CD pipelines with integrated governance.

  • Governance Leads: Led change management, policy adoption, and cloud maturity assessments.

Tools & Technologies

  • CSPM & Monitoring: Prisma Cloud, Azure Security Center, AWS GuardDuty

  • IAM & SSO: Okta, Azure AD, AWS IAM

  • Data Protection: AWS KMS, Azure Key Vault, HashiCorp Vault

  • Compliance & Reporting: Drata, Vanta, AWS Config, OneTrust

  • Automation & IaC: Terraform, GitHub Actions, Jenkins

  • Logging & Alerting: Splunk, CloudTrail, Sentinel

Role-based access controls (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication used to secure healthcare data in the cloud.

Conclusion

By modernizing cloud management and strengthening data security, Curate enabled the healthcare provider to mitigate risks, ensure regulatory compliance, and operate securely in a digital-first healthcare landscape. The solution provided a robust, scalable foundation for cloud-native healthcare operations with embedded security and governance.

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