Information Security Officer

The role of an information security officer is protecting and monitoring any and all company information from being removed, accessed or manipulated from those outside of the company. In hospitals and treatment facilities this includes all patient files, medical notes, research based information, billing information, employee files and any and all other potentially sensitive information.

• The information security officer usually works under the chief information officer or another executive at the organization to implement and design appropriate security measures for both outside access and employee access. These systems are set in place so that only certain individuals within the hospital or health care facility can access certain data.
• The information security officer works closely with all departments and helps secure data as required. This may include implementing encryption programs for data entry procedures or establishing and providing access codes for staff members. The information security officer will also troubleshoot any potential problems and constantly monitor the information for any signs of attempts to break into databases or secure sites.

Career Requirements

• The requirements for an information security officer vary from one agency to other but most biotechnology, hospital, and research facilities require at least a four year bachelor’s degree in computing science, business management or another related field; a master degree is considered a plus. In addition, the majority of hospitals and research facilities are seeking personnel with one of the following security certifications: CISSP, CISM, CISA or CHPS, all which address security issues within a facility.
• The Information Security Officer (ISO) should be able to understand network protocols and security issues. Experience working with ISP, internet service providers, is considered highly desirable for larger operations. The ISO must be able to address disaster recovery and business continuity issues and be at ease when working with any personnel security problems.

Job Outlook

• The demand for certified CISSP information security officer continues to rise as more and more sensitive patient information is both stored and exchanged in online format. The security issues with both research and personal information have reached levels that required specially trained individuals to keep information private and protected.
• As the number of hospitals, long-term care and research facilities continue to increase across the United States the demand for information security officers will continue to increase at the same rate. The US Department of Labor indicates that the rate of positions for qualified information security officers will increase at an above average rate at least until the year 2014.