It became apparent to me after about two minutes sitting with the "team" that not only had they brought me there to play as if I was their Information Security Officer, but they were pushing the client for a hard sell on a storage system to meet one of the encryption requirements for PII/ePHI. I couldn't help myself as I saw the client in a semi-dazed and confused trance as the "team" bombarded them with technical babble and regulatory draconian speak...I had to jump in!
I found my chance...there was a pause from the team where they were seeking a reply from the client, the doctor and nurses were still trying to figure out what "data at rest" meant, and I jumped in.... "Excuse me, can I ask a question?". The client looked at me with a stare that I couldn't make out, either it was a "yeah what do you want? I'm busy trying to reconcile all the data here in my head" or "please save us". I wasn't sure which it was.
I asked the client if they had ever taken a HIPAA self-assessment survey. Aha! It was as if that was the missing link...they got it! The excitement grew as I held their hand and took them on a journey of possibilities that would ensue once they had all the answers to their questions, and it was interesting to see how the "team" was dumbfounded. The "team" looked like I had just stolen their lunch money, but I knew they saw value in what was being presented. We closed up the meeting with the client asking for a follow up next week after they finish the assessment (I had the "team" take that one for action) and as we all walked to our vehicles, I explained to the "team" that although they had not walked away with a signed contract this day, they would see the value in what we are doing as it paves the way for becoming a STRATEGIC PARTNER in the long-run and will lead to not only this single box solution sale, but many others that they cannot begin to imagine occurring over the next two years.
