The Prescription for Protecting PII in Healthcare

Healthcare organizations are prime targets for cyberattacks because of the volume and sensitivity of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) they manage. From patient records and insurance data to medical histories and billing details, the consequences of a breach extend far beyond regulatory fines. They impact lives. Protecting this data is more than a compliance mandate, it’s a matter of trust and patient safety.

Traditional approaches often fall short because they fail to keep pace with the complexity of modern healthcare environments. Sensitive data is no longer confined to secure databases. It moves across cloud platforms, devices, third-party systems and clinical applications. To protect PII effectively, healthcare organizations need continuous visibility into where sensitive data resides, who can access it and how it is being used.

That is where Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) comes in. Forcepoint DSPM delivers real-time discovery and classification of PII and other sensitive data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments, using AI to tag sensitive data based on content, context and risk. This allows security and compliance teams to prioritize protection efforts and enforce policies with precision, even as data moves.

Forcepoint DSPM also integrates with Forcepoint DLP to help prevent unauthorized sharing or exfiltration of regulated data. Together, they provide a complementary approach with proactive and reactive controls to protect healthcare data. This ensures organizations can meet regulatory requirements to protect sensitive information without adding any unnecessary friction.

What makes DSPM critical for protecting PII in healthcare

Healthcare’s data landscape is increasingly fragmented, with PII dispersed across Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems, SaaS applications, legacy infrastructure and third-party providers. This distributed environment makes comprehensive data governance difficult. At the same time, healthcare data remains a top target for attackers, given its high value on the black market and its utility for identity theft, fraud and extortion.

In addition to the growing threat landscape, healthcare organizations must comply with complex and evolving regulations. Compliance is not optional, and noncompliance can lead to significant penalties and reputational damage. However, achieving compliance requires more than just documentation – it demands real control over data access and movement.

Forcepoint DSPM is purpose-built to address these modern challenges. It scans across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments to discover where sensitive data lives. This is critical in healthcare, where data is constantly created, modified and shared across care teams and systems.

Just as important, Forcepoint DSPM reveals who has access to sensitive data and whether that access is appropriate. By surfacing over-permissioned accounts, orphaned data sets and anomalous behaviors, it helps identify and close security gaps that other tools miss. This enables organizations to enforce least-privilege access policies, limit data sprawl and maintain data integrity in a proactive, scalable way.

AI-driven risk scoring enhances this process by highlighting high-impact exposure, allowing healthcare IT and GRC teams to prioritize resources efficiently. Whether responding to an incident or preparing for an audit, teams gain the visibility and control needed to safeguard PII without adding operational friction.

How AI-powered DSPM enhances compliance and data protection

DSPM plays a foundational role in helping healthcare organizations achieve and maintain compliance. By mapping regulated data access and movement, Forcepoint DSPM makes it easier to understand how patient data is used and who interacts with it. It enables automated documentation and reporting, simplifying audit preparation and reducing the time needed to demonstrate compliance.

This shift from reactive to proactive compliance is a game-changer for GRC teams. Instead of waiting for incidents or audit findings to highlight risks, organizations can monitor and manage compliance posture in real time. This also allows for continuous improvement, with fewer surprises and a clearer view of how changes in infrastructure or workflow impact data exposure.

AI is central to the value Forcepoint DSPM delivers. Its AI Mesh doesn’t just classify based on keywords or file types – it understands context. This enables more accurate classification of sensitive data, even when it's unstructured or spread across non-traditional repositories. It also reduces false positives, helping security teams focus on genuine threats rather than chasing noise.

To protect data without compromising privacy, Forcepoint DSPM uses a Small Language Model (SLM) architecture that processes data in place. This privacy-preserving design ensures that sensitive data never leaves the organization's control, supporting both security and compliance goals. Once data is classified and scored, Forcepoint DSPM applies automated, risk-based tags that integrate directly with Forcepoint DLP. This ensures that data protection policies are enforced consistently, whether data is at rest, in motion or in use.

Operationalizing data access governance in healthcare

In today’s healthcare environment, data access governance is not just a security issue – it’s a business imperative. Forcepoint DSPM helps organizations take control of their data by making it visible, understandable and actionable. With real-time discovery, fully explainable classification and integrated policy enforcement, it empowers healthcare providers to manage risk more effectively, meet regulatory requirements with confidence and, most importantly, protect the trust of their patients.

Forcepoint delivers a full range of data and network security solutions to protect sensitive data in healthcare. Find out about how we prevent data loss or talk to an expert now to set up a demo.