HITRUST CSF
Certifiable framework harmonizing 60+ standards for security assurance
ISO 19600
Guidelines for compliance management systems.
Quick Verdict
HITRUST CSF delivers certifiable security controls for healthcare and regulated sectors, while ISO 19600 provides CMS guidelines for all organizations. Companies adopt HITRUST for third-party assurance and HITRUST for systematic compliance management.
HITRUST CSF
HITRUST Common Security Framework
Key Features
- Harmonizes 60+ frameworks into certifiable control library
- Risk-based tailoring via organizational and system factors
- Five-level maturity model from policy to managed
- Centralized assurance with assessors and HITRUST QA
- MyCSF platform enables inheritance and multi-reporting
ISO 19600
ISO 19600:2014 Compliance management systems — Guidelines
Key Features
- Risk-based compliance management framework
- Principles of good governance and proportionality
- Annex SL structure for system integration
- PDCA cycle for continuous improvement
- Scalable guidelines for all organization sizes
Detailed Analysis
A comprehensive look at the specific requirements, scope, and impact of each standard.
HITRUST CSF Details
What It Is
HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) is a certifiable, threat-adaptive control framework harmonizing requirements from 60+ standards like HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and GDPR. It uses a risk-based approach with structured tailoring via organizational, system, and regulatory factors, organized across 19 domains and a hierarchical taxonomy of 14 categories, 49 objectives, and ~156 specifications.
Key Components
- 19 assessment domains covering governance, technical controls, and resilience.
- **Five-level maturity modelpolicy, procedure, implemented, measured, managed.
- Tiered assessments: e1 (44 controls), i1 (182 requirements), r2 (tailored, highest).
- MyCSF platform for scoping, evidence, and certification lifecycle.
Why Organizations Use It
Provides unified compliance, credible third-party assurance, and reduced audit fatigue via "assess once, report many." Benefits include market differentiation in healthcare/finance, lower breach risk (99.4% breach-free certified), insurance savings, and TPRM efficiency. Builds stakeholder trust through standardized, centrally validated reports.
Implementation Overview
Multi-phase: scoping/gap analysis, remediation, evidence collection, validated assessment by Authorized Assessors. Suited for regulated industries handling sensitive data; requires policies, training, inheritance for cloud. Certification valid 1-2 years with ongoing monitoring.
ISO 19600 Details
What It Is
ISO 19600:2014 — Compliance management systems — Guidelines — is a Type B guidance standard from the International Organization for Standardization. It provides recommendations for establishing, implementing, evaluating, maintaining, and improving a Compliance Management System (CMS). The risk-based approach applies universally across organization sizes, sectors, and geographies, using a PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle aligned with Annex SL structure.
Key Components
- **10 clausesContext, leadership, planning, support, operation, performance evaluation, improvement.
- **Core principlesGood governance, proportionality, transparency, sustainability.
- Pillars include obligations identification, risk assessment, controls, training, monitoring.
- Non-certifiable; used for benchmarking, not formal certification.
Why Organizations Use It
- Mitigates legal penalties, operational disruptions, reputational damage.
- Drives efficiency (10-20% cost savings), market access, cultural integrity.
- Enhances decision-making, integrates with ISO 9001/14001.
- Builds stakeholder trust, prepares for ISO 37301 transition.
Implementation Overview
- **Phased roadmapLeadership commitment, gap analysis, design, rollout, continuous improvement.
- Scalable for SMEs to multinationals; all industries.
- Involves risk registers, SOPs, audits; no mandatory certification. (178 words)
Key Differences
| Aspect | HITRUST CSF | ISO 19600 |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Security/privacy controls across 19 domains | Compliance management system guidelines |
| Industry | Healthcare-focused, industry-agnostic expansion | All industries, any organization size |
| Nature | Certifiable control framework with assessments | Non-certifiable guidelines (withdrawn, replaced) |
| Testing | Validated assessments by authorized assessors | Internal audits and management reviews |
| Penalties | Loss of certification, no legal penalties | No direct penalties (guidance standard) |
Scope
Industry
Nature
Testing
Penalties
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about HITRUST CSF and ISO 19600
HITRUST CSF FAQ
ISO 19600 FAQ
You Might also be Interested in These Articles...
SOC 2 Audit Survival Guide: Auditor Questions, Red Flags, and Evidence Prep for First-Time Pass
Ace your SOC 2 audit with predicted auditor questions, model answers, red flags, and evidence checklists from CPA best practices & SignWell's journey. Reduce st
Top 10 Reasons ISO 27701 is the Ultimate Privacy Boost for Your ISO 27001 ISMS in 2025
Extend ISO 27001 with ISO 27701 for ultimate privacy governance amid GDPR & AI regs. Discover top 10 advantages like integrated audits to future-proof your ISMS
CIS Controls v8.1 IG1 Ransomware-Resilience Sprint: A 30-60-90 Day Action Plan (With Evidence Checklist)
Tactical CIS Controls v8.1 IG1 playbook for ransomware resilience. 30-60-90 day sprint with tool-agnostic tasks, ownership & evidence checklists to prove progre
Run Maturity Assessments with GRADUM
Transform your compliance journey with our AI-powered assessment platform
Assess your organization's maturity across multiple standards and regulations including ISO 27001, DORA, NIS2, NIST, GDPR, and hundreds more. Get actionable insights and track your progress with collaborative, AI-powered evaluations.
Check out these other Gradum.io Standards Comparison Pages
Six Sigma vs ISO/IEC 42001:2023
Discover Six Sigma vs ISO/IEC 42001:2023: DMAIC rigor meets AI governance. Compare requirements, benefits & strategies for process excellence & responsible AI. Choose now!
WCAG vs APRA CPS 234
Compare WCAG vs APRA CPS 234: Web accessibility standards meet Australia's financial security rules. Unlock governance, testing & compliance strategies for regulated entities now.
ISO 14001 vs FISMA
Explore ISO 14001 vs FISMA: EMS standard for environmental excellence meets federal cybersecurity compliance. Uncover key differences, strategies, and benefits for resilient governance now.