Hussein Syed, RWJ Barnabas Health, Chief Information Security Officer, Honored as One of 54 CISOs To Know Nationwide

West Orange, New Jersey, September 10, 2024 - Hussein Syed, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for RWJBarnabas Health, was honored by Becker's Hospital Review as one of just 54 hospital and health system CISOs To Know, recognized for his dedication to optimizing health care through cybersecurity.

Thanks to a growing number of data breaches and cyber threats, cybersecurity is top of mind for most healthcare organizations. CISOs are charged with building robust cybersecurity strategies and implementing novel technologies, and as the cybersecurity landscape continues to evolve, these leaders deftly adapt to ensure the protection of sensitive information. Mr. Syed was also included on the list last year.

Mr. Syed is responsible for innovating and driving the cyber security strategy used to secure the technology and data assets for the largest, most comprehensive academic healthcare system in New Jersey. He and his team are charged with implementing secure solutions while enabling and advancing the dynamically changing business objectives of the organization.

With more than two decades of information technology experience, Mr. Syed is playing a key role in the implementation of the system's historic overhaul of its EHR platform. During his time as CISO, he has grown the department into several divisions focused on risk, architecture, operations, vulnerability management, and identity and access management.

Mr. Syed first joined the health system in 2002 as a Security Architect reporting to the Chief Information Officer. As he architected security solutions, he began standardizing processes and developing requirements for system implementation. As the threat landscape started changing, a Security Department was created, with Mr. Syed as Director. There, he developed the organization's first Security Program.

Following RWJBarnabas Health's mergers and acquisitions came the responsibility of integrating the new facilities onto the existing systems without introducing vulnerabilities or impacting operations. During this time, Mr. Syed began building a security team with the skills and experience necessary to take on these complex efforts. As the number of facilities grew and information security became more of a concern to healthcare, Mr. Syed was promoted to RWJBarnabas Health CISO function.