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The HITRUST cybersecurity framework offers an important advantage over commonly used alternatives like NIST CSF: a pathway to certification. HITRUST certification demonstrates that your organization truly follows data security best practices, not just claims to. In finance, healthcare, and other industries that routinely handle sensitive data, HITRUST is the gold standard. How much will HITRUST certification cost you?
The cost of HITRUST certification depends on the size of your company, the number of security controls you need to implement, and the authorized External Assessor you choose. On average, mid-sized businesses can expect to pay $30,000 to $70,000. Larger enterprises often need to invest $50,000 to $100,000 — or more.
It’s easier to calculate the costs of HITRUST certification once you have a good idea of the optional and required services needed. This list isn’t comprehensive, but it breaks down common costs for enterprise businesses.
Obtaining the HITRUST CSF is free. This is helpful for mapping your current cybersecurity policies, processes, and defenses against HITRUST requirements.
Depending on the size of your organization, the number of employees you have, your regulatory compliance needs, and how complex your operations are, hiring an expert in HITRUST implementation can be one of the best investments you make. Considering that the HITRUST CSF encompasses 19 domains and over 130 standard controls, it’s important to know which requirements are mandatory for your organization.
Enterprises often go with an External Assessor for this step, but it’s also possible to use an in-house HITRUST compliance professional if you have one on your staff. Choosing the in-house route means hiring a dedicated professional and paying a salary (usually over $100,000 annually), but you also have someone coordinating your compliance efforts 52 weeks a year.
After integrating the HITRUST CSF framework with your operations, your organization needs to evaluate how well your personnel are following the necessary processes and procedures. Self-assessments can help you identify room for improvement and catch areas of noncompliance before the official certification audit.
The main costs of self-assessment relate to:
For HITRUST certification, the cost of a subscription to the official MyCSF platform is $2,500. Businesses can only purchase access in 90-day increments, but the certification process often takes four to six months at least. Many companies report spending $15,000+ on this service during a first-time HITRUST certification.
While technically optional, conducting a HITECH readiness assessment is virtually mandatory in practice — at least for your first certification. After all, few organizations want to go through the time, effort, and cost of an official validation assessment only to fail it because of a few problem domains.
There are a few options for conducting a readiness assessment of your HITRUST CSF compliance:
When comparing auditing firms, always verify industry experience and reputation. You don’t need to choose the most expensive option, but you want solutions that save you time and help you achieve certification as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The HITRUST validation assessment is the official audit for HITRUST certification. It can take several weeks to several months depending on the number of controls the auditor must evaluate. Only HITRUST-authorized EA firms can perform the validation assessment.
A subscription to the MyCSF portal is mandatory during the validation assessment. Enterprises often pay up to $30,000 annually for platform access and self-assessment tools.
How much HITRUST certification costs varies widely based on your operations, objectives, and current cybersecurity maturity status.
There are three tiers of HITRUST compliance. If your services require storing or processing confidential financial data or protected health information, you should be working toward an i1 (one-year) or r2 (two-year) certification. The cost of HITRUST certification is higher for r2 validation assessments because they have a larger pool of controls that must be customized to the scope of your organization.
One of the biggest expenses related to HITRUST audits comes from EA fees. Enterprises that choose major names like PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, or Optiv may end up spending $75,000 to $150,000 annually for assessment services.
Companies in every industry can benefit from the HITRUST CSF framework, but certain sectors have a greater number of controls to consider. For example, healthcare organizations must follow HIPAA rules for data security, privacy, and breach notifications.
It usually takes companies with a large number of employees or complex data infrastructure (such as telehealth and hospital healthcare services) longer to achieve HITRUST certification. The longer full compliance takes, the higher the total cost of certification.
At first, HITRUST certification costs with a $30,000 to $100,000 price tag can seem excessive. When you remember that the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. is nearly $10 million, your perspective may change. Implementing a leading cybersecurity framework and getting certified can safeguard your organization and protect your relationship with customers.
Compyl is a cost-effective and powerful tool for HITRUST compliance. Automated document flows, network logging, task assignments, and other tools can streamline your road to compliance and help you lower HITRUST certification costs for your organization. Request a demo today.
