NEN 7510 is a Dutch standard for information security management in the healthcare sector. It provides guidelines and specifications to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of medical information. By adhering to NEN 7510, organizations can demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding sensitive health data and maintaining trust with patients and stakeholders.
The Importance of NEN 7510
NEN 7510 is a standard for information security management, specifically designed for the healthcare sector in the Netherlands. Its significance lies in its comprehensive framework that sets guidelines and specifications to ensure the security of medical information. In an era where data breaches and cyber threats are rampant, adhering to NEN 7510 becomes very important for healthcare organizations.
By complying with NEN 7510, organizations can demonstrate their unwavering commitment to safeguarding sensitive health data. This not only helps in maintaining the trust of patients but also ensures that the organization is in line with legal and regulatory requirements. Furthermore, it strengthens a culture of security within the organization, encouraging continuous improvement and vigilance against potential threats.
In addition to protecting patient data, NEN 7510 also contributes to the operational resilience of healthcare organizations. It aids in establishing robust protocols for data handling, incident response, and risk management, thus minimizing the impact of any security incidents. The standard also facilitates better governance and accountability within the organization, ensuring that roles and responsibilities related to information security are clearly defined and effectively managed.
NEN 7510 is an important tool for healthcare organizations aiming to uphold high standards of information security. Its implementation not only protects valuable medical information but also reinforces the organization's reputation as a trustworthy guardian of patient data.
Who must comply with NEN 7510?
Compliance with NEN 7510 is mandatory for almost all healthcare organizations operating within the Netherlands. This includes hospitals, clinics, general practitioners, and any other entities involved in the processing or handling of medical information. Additionally, vendors and third-party service providers who manage or store patient data on behalf of healthcare institutions are also required to adhere to the standards set forth by NEN 7510. By doing so, they can ensure that their operations are secure and trustworthy, thereby maintaining the confidence of their clients and the general public. Ensuring compliance with NEN 7510 is not only a legal obligation but also a critical component of establishing a robust information security framework.
How Intercept Can Help?
Intercept specializes in providing comprehensive cyber security solutions. Our expertise aligns perfectly with the requirements of NEN 7510, enabling us to assist our customers in achieving superior standards of information security.
NEN 7510 in combination with Intercept solutions
Intercept, with the help of Microsoft Azure, offers a comprehensive suite of cloud services that can be leveraged by financial institutions to comply with the NEN 7510. By integrating Azure's advanced tools and services, customers can enhance their security posture, ensure compliance, and foster operational resilience.
Cloud Control
When you are looking to maintain control of your cloud environment without the daily operational burden, then Intercept offers Cloud Control. With Cloud Control, Intercept manages your infrastructure, allowing your team to focus entirely on your goals. We optimize and monitor your cloud environment's performance, security, and costs. You can maintain an overview through our dashboard and access support, advice, and more directly.
Defender for Cloud
In order to keep track of security incidents, a cloud workload protection platform is required. The required solution for this is Microsoft Defender for Cloud.
High severity security alerts, classified by Microsoft, will be monitored and picked up and lead to the creation of security Incidents. Responses and actions on security alerts are included in Cloud Control, actions on medium and low are handled with a lower priority. Actions will also be approved by the customer before changing resources or settings.
Within Microsoft Defender for Cloud, the customer shall and keep activated the following modules:
- Defender for Servers (the advanced P2 plan)
- Defender for Containers
- Defender for Storage
- Defender for Databases (Azure SQL, SQL Server on machines, Open-source Databases and CosmosDB)
- Defender for App Service
- Defender for Key Vault
- Defender for Resource Manager
To improve the security posture, Azure Secure Score metric is being used. The metric is available to all Azure customers. All quick fixes (less than 1 hour) will be part of Cloud Control effort. If resource changes must be made a backlog item will be created. If the customer has Platform Control, it will be part of the platform control hours. If not, the customer needs to approve the work upfront.
Intercept will configure vulnerability monitoring and end-of-life / retirement monitoring on supported public cloud resources and will advise customers with a fitting solution.
Azure Security Center
Azure Security Center provides unified security management and advanced threat protection across hybrid cloud workloads. It helps customers to:
- Strengthen security posture by providing continuous assessments and recommendations
- Protect against evolving threats with integrated threat intelligence and advanced analytics
- Streamline compliance with built-in policies and regulatory requirements
Azure Sentinel
Azure Sentinel is a scalable, cloud-native security information and event management (SIEM) system that offers:
- Intelligent security analytics for your entire enterprise
- Automated threat detection and response capabilities
- Integration with various data sources for comprehensive threat detection
By utilizing Azure Sentinel, healthcare organisations can enhance their incident response capabilities and meet NEN 7510 requirements for timely reporting and mitigation of IT-related incidents.
Azure Policy and Compliance Management
Azure Policy enables financial institutions to enforce organizational standards and assess compliance at scale. With Azure Policy, you can
- Define and enforce policies for resource management
- Continuously monitor compliance with NEN 7510 regulatory requirements
- Automate remediation of non-compliant resources
Azure Backup and Disaster Recovery
Ensuring operational resilience is a key aspect of NEN 7510. Azure offers robust backup and disaster recovery solutions that help financial institutions to:
- Protect against data loss with automated backup solutions
- Ensure business continuity with seamless disaster recovery solutions
- Minimize downtime and data loss with rapid recovery capabilities
Azure Third-Party Risk Management
Azure provides tools to manage third-party risks effectively. Customers can use Azure's capabilities to:
- Assess and monitor the security posture of third-party vendors
- Enforce compliance with security standards and regulatory requirements
- Mitigate third-party risks through continuous monitoring and assessments
Azure Information Sharing
Azure facilitates secure information sharing among financial institutions, fostering collaboration and collective defense. Institutions can leverage Azure's services to:
- Share threat intelligence and security insights securely
- Collaborate on cybersecurity initiatives and best practices
- Strengthen the overall resilience of the financial sector
Intercept and NEN 7510
Intercept has established a comprehensive set of internal policies to ensure information and cyber security. These policies cover various aspects such as data protection, access control, incident response, and employee training. The policies are designed to align with industry best practices and regulatory requirements, ensuring that all employees understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining information security. Intercept takes all technical and organizational measures to secure your (personal) data against loss or other unlawful processing. For this purpose, we are ISO 27001 and Microsoft Azure Expert MSP certified.
If you want to read more about how Intercept deals with all relevant topics regarding information and cyber security, see our Trust Center.