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Case Study: (Anonymized): Healthcare SaaS — Encryption Coverage ↑, Audit Prep ↓

Snapshot

  • Industry: Healthcare SaaS (cloud-native, U.S. & EU customers)
  • Team size: ~1,800 employees; Security org of 14
  • Environment: Multi-cloud (AWS + GCP), Postgres/MySQL, object storage, analytics warehouse, Kubernetes
  • Frameworks: HIPAA, SOC 2, customer diligence questionnaires
  • Engagement: 2-week assessment → 6-week rollout (8 weeks total)

Starting Point

The company could say “we’re encrypted,” but struggled to prove it:

  • Coverage was inconsistent (DBs turned on, but backups/log exports lagging)
  • Keys lived too close to data; rotation was ad-hoc and poorly evidenced
  • Audit prep required one-off screenshots and spreadsheets before every review
  • No regular restore tests to show encrypted backups actually worked

Objectives

  1. Raise encryption coverage on crown-jewel datasets across clouds
  2. Move key custody under governance (separation of duties, rotation calendar)
  3. Produce auditor-ready evidence packs on demand
  4. Prove recoverability with a guided restore test and measured RTO/RPO

What Sidechain Delivered

Approach: “Encryption-first, evidence-forward.” We standardized controls, centralized keys, and automated the proof.

1) Readiness Assessment (Weeks 1–2)

  • Inventory of sensitive data stores (EHR-adjacent services, analytics, backups)
  • Gap map: control in place vs. missing (at rest / in transit / in use)
  • Key custody review: where keys live, who can decrypt, last rotation
  • Drafted a 30-day remediation plan prioritized by risk & effort

2) Key Governance & Controls (Weeks 3–6)

  • Centralized key custody with HSM-backed KMS policy (time-boxed decrypt grants, two-person approvals for high-risk actions)
  • Standardized TDE/volume encryption for databases and nodes; bucket defaults + policy for object storage
  • Tokenization/format-preserving encryption for high-churn identifiers used in analytics
  • TLS hardening & cert lifecycle guardrails
  • Key-use logging streamed to SIEM; detections for denied decrypt spikes

3) Evidence & Observability (Weeks 5–7)

  • Quarterly Evidence Pack generator (keys in use, algorithm/length, last/next rotation, approvals, denied decrypts, TLS posture, last restore report)
  • Coverage and rotation dashboards with export (CSV/PDF)
  • Auditor role (read-only) with watermarked downloads

4) Recoverability (Weeks 7–8)

  • Guided restore test of a production-like database to a clean segment
  • Timed RTO/RPO, integrity checks, and a remediation list for backup gaps

Results (8 Weeks)

  • Encryption coverage: ↑ from ~45% to >92% of in-scope crown-jewel datasets
  • Key rotation on-time: ↑ from 22% to 100% for CMKs/KEKs in scope
  • Audit preparation: ↓ ~70% time (from ~10 business days to <3) using Evidence Packs
  • Denied decrypt visibility: Now real-time with SIEM alerts; false positives reduced with tuning
  • Restore confidence: RTO improved from ~14 hours to <4 hours (validated in test)
  • Developer friction: Minimal—controls delivered via platform policy and service identities

Customer voice (anonymized, VP Security):
“For the first time we can show, not tell—what’s encrypted, who can decrypt, when keys rotated, and how fast we restore. Audits are dramatically easier.”

Architecture (at a glance)

  • Central key authority with HSM-backed roots; apps consume keys via KMS APIs
  • Controls by data type:
    • Databases/VMs: TDE/volume encryption
    • Object storage/backups/logs: default encryption + bucket policy enforcement
    • High-churn identifiers: tokenization/FPE for analytics compatibility
  • Identity & policy: Short-lived service identities; just-in-time decrypt grants; two-person rule for sensitive ops
  • Observability: Immutable key-use logs → SIEM; anomaly alerts on denied/atypical decrypts
  • Evidence: One-click quarterly pack; auditor read-only portal access

Why It Worked

  • Evidence-first design: Every control mapped to a proof artifact
  • Separation of duties: App teams don’t own the keys protecting their data
  • Automated hygiene: Rotation calendars, approvals, and logging built-in—not bolted-on
  • Pragmatic rollout: Start with the riskiest datasets; expand each sprint

What’s Next

  • Extend BYOK/CMEK to priority SaaS platforms
  • Quarterly restore drills and tabletop exercises
  • Access reviews (who can request decrypt) with exportable certifications

Deliverables Recap

  • Current→Target Encryption & Key Map
  • Policy & Runbooks (rotate, approve, backup/restore, break-glass)
  • Evidence Pack templates + scheduler
  • Restore Test Report with timings and remediation actions
  • Executive readout with metrics and next-quarter plan

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