INDEPENDENT CYBERSECURITY OVERSIGHT FOR HEALTHCARE AND MISSION-DRIVEN ORGANIZATIONS
You need an outside look at your security. Because you can't afford to guess.
Most practices and nonprofits hand one IT vendor two jobs: build the security, then confirm it’s working. No vendor can objectively grade its own work. That’s not a knock on IT providers. It’s just how conflicts work
I give healthcare practices and mission-driven organizations a clear, honest read on where their security actually stands — from someone with no products to sell, no MSP services to push, and nothing to earn a referral fee on.
Two kinds of organizations. The same blind spot.
Whether you protect patients or the people your mission serves, the risk usually traces back to the same place: nobody independent has checked whether your security actually does what you were told it does.
For Healthcare Practices
HIPAA and OCR exposure, ePHI, cyber-insurance questions, and an MSP you’re trusting to grade its own work. I give you an OCR-defensible read on where you stand and what to fix first
For Mission-Driven Organizations
Donor and client data, funder and grant cybersecurity requirements, board fiduciary duty, and a tight budget. I give your board and leadership an independent read on where you stand and what to fix first — mapped to recognized frameworks, not jargon
3 Key Problems We Solve
01
Independent risk analysis so your MSP isn't grading its own homework.
02
Verify your protections are real — not just 'we have it' — with simple proof and spot-checks.
03
A decision-ready roadmap so your leadership or board can prioritize fixes, budgets, and accountability — and defend those decisions if a regulator, funder, or insurer ever asks.
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“I trust our IT company — but I have no independent way to know if we’re actually protected.”
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“If we get breached, it’s on me.” Owners, executive directors, and board chairs all carry real reputational and financial exposure, yet many have never had an independent review.
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“We’ve grown, but nobody ever went back and checked.” New providers, locations, programs, systems, or grant-funded tools — the security rarely kept pace.
Here's how I'd describe what most small practices are actually dealing with — in plain terms:
"Here's the problem: most IT providers aren't lying to you — they genuinely believe what they're telling you. But a lot of what passes for 'security' in small practices is the IT equivalent of shooting the side of a barn and drawing circles around the hole and calling it a bullseye. They do what they do, slap a label on it, and call it good. Nobody's checked whether any of it lines up with what HIPAA actually requires — or what a real attacker would actually try.
That's not security. That's just a good-looking hole in the barn."
— Tom Polk, CISSP | CCSP | HCISPP | Principal, Northline Advisors
My role is to bring 30+ years of real-world IT and security leadership alongside you — so you can move forward with clarity, not guesswork. No vendor agenda. No tools to sell. Just an honest picture of where you stand.
Areas of Expertise
Independent Security Risk Analysis
HIPAA-aligned for healthcare practices, Established security framework-aligned for nonprofits. Either way: a ranked risk register and a clear remediation plan, not a stack of templates.
MSP / Vendor Oversight
Independent review of your IT vendor relationships, contracts, and practices — so you know if the people you're trusting are actually protecting you.
Security Governance
Practical governance programs: policies, evidence binders, ownership assignments, and metrics dashboards that small practices can actually manage.
Incident Readiness
Tabletop exercises, incident response planning, and hands-on coordination support — so the first time you respond to a threat isn't the real thing.
vCISO / Ongoing Advisory
Steady, monthly security oversight for practices that need progress, not a one-time report. Independent leadership that complements your MSP.
Workforce Security Training
Security awareness tailored to how your team actually works — HIPAA and device handling for a practice, donor and client-data handling for a nonprofit.
Testimonial
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