Pilot Study - Prospectus: Salesforce HIPAA Compliance Benchmark Study
An invitation to participate in a groundbreaking study to demystify Salesforce HIPAA compliance and enhance your organization's security posture.
- Client
- Salesforce
- Year
- Service
- Compliance Benchmarking, Security Assessment
Prospectus: Salesforce HIPAA Compliance Benchmark Study
An Invitation to Participate in a Groundbreaking Study to Demystify Salesforce HIPAA Compliance and Enhance Your Organization's Security Posture.
1. The Goal of the Study: Solving the "Black Box" Problem
For too long, Salesforce HIPAA compliance has been a "black box." Compliance and risk management teams often lack the deep technical Salesforce knowledge to properly assess security controls, while Salesforce technical teams may not fully grasp the nuances of HIPAA's requirements. This disconnect creates uncertainty and leaves organizations exposed to significant compliance risks.
This study aims to eliminate that ambiguity.
Our goal is to move beyond theoretical guidance and self-reported checklists. By performing a direct, technical evaluation of 100 Salesforce instances used by healthcare organizations, we will create the first-ever empirical benchmark for Salesforce HIPAA compliance. We seek to identify common configuration gaps, highlight best practices, and establish a clear, data-driven understanding of the shared responsibility model in a real-world context. The aggregated, anonymized findings will provide an invaluable resource for the entire healthcare industry.
2. The Time Commitment
We have designed the study to be as minimally disruptive as possible. Your direct time commitment is estimated to be approximately 3-4 hours spread across several weeks.
- Kick-off & Onboarding (60 minutes): A virtual meeting to discuss the process, grant secure and temporary read-only access to our analysis tools, and answer any questions.
- Technical Evaluation (2-4 weeks, ~0 hours of your time): Our team will conduct the analysis remotely. This phase requires no active participation from your team.
- Findings Review & Debrief (90 minutes): A final virtual meeting where we will walk you through your personalized reports and remediation plan, ensuring your team understands the findings and the path forward.
3. The Benefit for You: Actionable Intelligence & Audit-Ready Artifacts
As a thank you for your participation, your organization will receive a comprehensive and confidential Salesforce HIPAA Security Assessment Package at no cost. These are not generic templates; they are artifacts generated from the direct analysis of your Salesforce environment, designed to be immediately integrated into your existing HIPAA Security Risk Analysis (SRA) and compliance program.
Scoping & Foundational Analysis
This initial phase establishes the context for the audit. The architect's first job is to understand what data is considered ePHI within your Salesforce instance, where it flows, who uses it, and how you intend for the system to meet HIPAA requirements.
| Rule | Category/Function | Artifact Type | Artifact Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Diagram | ePHI Data Flow Diagram (Salesforce Context) |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Record | Inventory of PHI/ePHI Fields and Objects |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Record | Salesforce Role Hierarchy and User Inventory |
| Security | Organizational Requirements (§314) | Record | AppExchange & Third-Party App Inventory |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Record | Salesforce Org Snapshot & License Review |
Technical Control & Configuration Audit
This is the core of the engagement, where the architect analyzes the "as-built" system against the HIPAA Security Rule. Each deliverable is a formal report that provides evidence for your periodic evaluation activities.
| Rule | Category/Function | Artifact Type | Artifact Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Access Control Audit Report |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Person or Entity Authentication Report |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Audit Controls Report |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Data-at-Rest Encryption Report |
| Security | Technical Safeguards (§312) | Report | Transmission Security Report |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Controls Review |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Plan | Backup, Restore, and Disaster Recovery Test Plan Review |
| Security | Technical Safeguards (§312) | Report | Session Security Settings Report |
Custom Code & Integration Review
Standard configuration analysis is not enough if your organization has built custom components or integrated external systems. This phase assesses the unique risks introduced by custom development and third-party connections.
| Rule | Category/Function | Artifact Type | Artifact Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Apex Code Security and Sharing Review Report |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Flow and Process Builder Security Analysis |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Connected App and API Endpoint Security Report |
| Security | Organizational Requirements (§314) | Report | AppExchange Package and Third-Party App Risk Assessment |
| Security | Technical Safeguards (§312) | Report | Public-Facing Form Security Review (e.g., Web-to-Case) |
| Security | Technical Safeguards (§312) | Report | Experience Cloud (Community) Security Assessment |
| Security | Organizational Requirements (§314) | Report | Email Integration, Chatter and Activity Capture Review |
Final Reporting & Remediation
These are the capstone deliverables that summarize the entire engagement and provide you with an actionable path forward. They are the most important outputs of the project.
| Rule | Category/Function | Artifact Type | Artifact Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Report | Salesforce HIPAA Compliance Findings Report |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Plan | Risk-Ranked Remediation Plan |
| Security | General & Documentation (§316) | Report | Executive Summary of Findings and Recommendations |
| Security | Administrative Safeguards (§308) | Plan | Recommended Ongoing Monitoring and Audit Plan |
4. Anonymity & Confidentiality Guarantee
Your trust is our highest priority. We handle sensitive information daily and operate under the strictest confidentiality protocols.
- Complete Anonymity: All data collected from your organization will be aggregated and fully anonymized in the final published research report. No individual participants, company names, or identifiable details will ever be disclosed or used in any public-facing materials.
- Confidentiality: Your specific findings, reports, and artifacts are for your organization's internal use only and will never be shared.
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA): We are happy to execute a mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement before commencing the study to provide an additional layer of legal assurance.
We believe this study will provide immense value to both your organization and the broader healthcare community. We look forward to the possibility of partnering with you.