The HITRUST 2025 Trust Report sheds light on a critical question organizations continue to ask: can you really rely on a certification to mean what it says? According to Vincent Bennekers, Vice President of Quality, and Bimal Sheth, Executive Vice President of Standards Development and Assurance Operations at HITRUST, the answer comes down to one word: reliability.

The conversation highlights how HITRUST goes beyond a simple checklist by layering in both threat intelligence and maturity modeling. Their framework isn’t just built on abstract risk—it incorporates real-world attack techniques, aligning controls to the MITRE ATT&CK framework. This means that the certification reflects actual adversarial tactics rather than hypothetical risk scenarios.

Bennekers shares that 99.41% of HITRUST-certified organizations did not report a breach in the last year, and that consistency over two annual reports points to meaningful outcomes—not just marketing claims. Sheth explains how each certification is reviewed in full by HITRUST, not just sampled, and every control is assessed for maturity—not pass/fail. It’s a model that helps companies continuously improve, while also giving relying parties better information.

For executive teams and boards, the report surfaces where organizations commonly struggle, including access control, vulnerability management, and third-party risk. It also highlights a growing use of external inheritance—leveraging cloud service providers’ security posture—as a strategic move for organizations with tighter budgets.

Looking ahead, the conversation points to continuous assurance and the evolving role of AI—both as a source of new risks and a tool to enhance security operations. HITRUST is already exploring certification models that reduce drift and increase visibility year-round.

For organizations wanting to build more than just a paper shield, this episode unpacks how certification—done right—can be a strategic, measurable advantage.

Note: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.

Guests:

Bimal Sheth, Executive Vice President of Standards Development and Assurance Operations at HITRUST | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bimal-sheth-248219130/

Vincent Bennekers, Vice President of Quality at HITRUST | On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincent-bennekers-a0b3201/

Host:

Sean Martin, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine and Host of Redefining CyberSecurity Podcast | https://www.seanmartin.com/

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Keywords: sean martin, bimal sheth, vincent bennekers, hitrust, trust report, cybersecurity, compliance, certification, quality assurance, risk management, brand story, brand marketing, marketing podcast, brand story podcast

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Resources

HITRUST 2025 Trust Report: https://itspm.ag/hitrusz49c

Webinar: Beyond the Checkbox: Rethinking SOC 2, Cybersecurity, and Third-Party Risk in 2025 — An ITSPmagazine Webinar with HITRUST (https://www.crowdcast.io/c/beyond-the-checkbox-rethinking-soc-2-cybersecurity-and-third-party-risk-in-2025-an-itspmagazine-webinar-with-hitrust )

Visit the HITRUST Website to learn more: https://itspm.ag/itsphitweb

Learn more and catch more stories from HITRUST on ITSPmagazine: https://www.itspmagazine.com/directory/hitrust

Learn more about ITSPmagazine Brand Story Podcasts: https://www.itspmagazine.com/purchase-programs

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