USDM worked with cross-functional teams and performed an in-depth assessment to help the life sciences customer verify and mature their cybersecurity readiness.
A U.S.-based pharmaceutical company with a global footprint and a strong pipeline needed a cybersecurity strategy. In light of recent breaches, the IT and security teams were focused on tools and configurations. USDM Life Sciences brought a comprehensive view that included people, processes, and technologies.
The Challenge
The customer's growth and recent security incidents had pushed cybersecurity to the top of the agenda, but the company lacked a strategy to match. The need had board-level visibility and was sponsored by the IT department, which had recently built its internal IT capability while moving away from an outsourced model.
That growth and the recent incidents demanded three things at once: a cybersecurity gap assessment, breach remediation action analysis, and strategy and configuration recommendations. But the company's business, size, resources, and timeline did not align with a full International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and HITRUST certification effort.
- Board-level visibility, sponsored by IT, with recent breaches raising urgency
- A newly internalized IT function after years of an outsourced model
- A narrow, technology-only view that needed to become strategic — spanning people, process, and technology
- The need for a right-sized, attainable approach instead of a heavyweight certification program
With a narrow view focused on technologies, the customer needed a more strategic perspective and a right-sized, attainable approach to solve this challenge — one grounded in data integrity and sustainable controls rather than tools alone.
The Approach
USDM worked with the IT department and cross-functional teams to perform an in-depth assessment of the customer's cybersecurity maturity and to prepare a prioritized, actionable roadmap. Rather than wait for a final report, USDM identified and recommended urgent actions on critical findings during the assessments and breach report analysis.
Build a complete picture
USDM developed a thorough understanding of the customer's strategy, IT landscape, technologies, and priorities, then helped the customer establish achievable objectives aligned with their corporate plans. Comprehensive cross-functional workshops — reaching well beyond the IT organization — captured 12 hours of detailed interviews and workshops to build a complete picture of the situation.
Assess the gaps that matter
USDM performed a gap assessment based on the customer's objectives, workshop outputs, and the people, process, and technology elements of their environment. Because the company's stage ruled out a full ISO and HITRUST certification, USDM focused on a risk-based assessment that prioritized the controls with the greatest impact.
Right-size the roadmap
USDM prepared a prioritized, actionable roadmap that was robust yet appropriately sized for the customer's stage of development, and within budget and time constraints. To anchor it, USDM established a business-driven cybersecurity risk framework for global compliance — extending naturally into adjacent disciplines such as third-party risk management as the program matures.
The Results
USDM verified that the effects of prior breaches were mitigated and established controls to prevent future breaches. The engagement produced measurable, right-sized outcomes:
- 4 weeks to a prioritized, actionable cybersecurity roadmap
- 12 hours of detailed interviews and workshops to build a complete picture of the customer's situation
- A path of maturity aligned with the growth of the organization
Instead of a heavyweight certification program the company couldn't yet sustain, USDM delivered a strategic, business-driven framework that fit the organization's size, budget, and timeline — and that grows with it. The result is a clear, prioritized path forward and a cybersecurity posture ready to mature alongside the business.
Additional Resources
Webinar: Cybersecurity Threats and Risks to Life Sciences Companies
Cybersecurity Services for Regulatory Compliance and Quality