CyberRx SD
Protecting healthcare. Strengthening rural communities.
CyberRx SD is an iniative of Rural Health Transformation South Dakota.
CyberRx SD serves as an independent, vendor-neutral technical partner that helps South Dakota healthcare providers protect patient data, strengthen cybersecurity, modernize digital health systems, and build long-term operational resilience. Through Dakota State University’s Applied Research Lab, CyberRx SD provides vendor-neutral cybersecurity, digital health, workforce, and technical assistance to healthcare organizations statewide, with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities.
Today, healthcare’s increasing dependence on connected technology creates risk. Electronic health records (EHR), patient portals, telehealth, and cloud platforms, along with diagnostic technology, data analytics, remote access, third-party vendors, and connected clinical systems are now essential to delivering care. With our cybersecurity and digital health expertise, we help healthcare providers understand their risks, evaluate their environments, and validate security, while prioritizing improvements, strengthening digital health systems, and developing practical plans for long-term resilience.
What we do
It is important to understand where your organization is vulnerable and what should be addressed first. CyberRx SD evaluates cybersecurity governance, identity and access management, remote access, and endpoint protection. Additionally, it assesses backup practices, incident response, vendor access, EHR-adjacent systems, and overall cybersecurity maturity. You will receive prioritized findings and a practical roadmap for improvement.
Find vulnerabilities before attackers do. CyberRx SD conducts authorized external and internal penetration testing to evaluate internet-facing systems, remote access, cloud assets, networks, and Active Directory. It will also evaluate segmentation, privilege escalation, credential exposure, and other authorized systems.
We can identify known weaknesses across servers, workstations, firewalls, network devices, applications, cloud environments, and remote access systems. We help providers determine which vulnerabilities create the greatest risk and where security improvement can begin.
CyberRx SD identifies compromised credentials, exposed accounts, spoofed domains, publicly exposed infrastructure, breach information, and other indicators that may increase the risk of phishing, credential theft, impersonation, or cyberattack.
Cybersecurity cannot be separated from healthcare operations. CyberRx SD provides vendor-neutral assistance involving everything from electronic health records, access controls, and workflows to Health Information Exchange readiness, South Dakota Health Link considerations, and interface planning, interoperability, and data integrity. Our goal is to help ensure digital health modernization is secure, usable, and sustainable.
CyberRx SD helps providers strengthen data quality and data governance. It enhances reporting workflows, analytics readiness, population health use cases, and dashboard planning. We help healthcare organizations turn digital health investments into useful information that supports aspects of patient care, operations, quality improvement, and population health.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of healthcare operations. CyberRx SD helps healthcare leaders and employees understand responsible AI use, data considerations, and governance. They will also understand cybersecurity implications, organizational readiness, and emerging digital health opportunities.
Not every rural healthcare organization can maintain a full-time Chief Information Security Officer. CyberRx SD provides executive-level cybersecurity guidance, including risk prioritization, cybersecurity roadmaps, and risk registers. Additionally, it provides governance support, budgeting considerations, executive briefings, and board-level communication.
A cyber incident in healthcare can become a patient-care issue. CyberRx SD helps providers prepare to maintain clinical and business operations during ransomware, cyber incidents, and technology disruptions. Our services could include incident response planning, ransomware readiness, backup and recovery reviews, as well as downtime planning, communication planning, and tabletop exercises.
Technology alone cannot protect healthcare organizations. CyberRx SD provides role-based cybersecurity and digital health training for executives, IT professionals, clinical staff, and administrative employees. It also includes telehealth teams, quality and reporting personnel, remote employees, and other workforce groups.
Who we serve
CyberRx SD serves eligible healthcare organizations across South Dakota, with priority given to rural and underserved providers. Organizations may include:
- Critical access hospitals
- Rural hospitals
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Tribal health facilities
- Rural health clinics
- Community-based mental health centers
- Long-term care providers
- Home health agencies
- Hospice providers
- Specialty and ambulatory clinics
- Other healthcare organizations serving rural South Dakotans
How CyberRx SD Works
CyberRx SD starts with your completion of an intake form so we can understand your organization, technology environment, priorities, and areas where assistance may be helpful. That will be followed by a conversation with your organization’s leaders and technical contacts to better understand your goals, concerns, and priorities. Together, we identify the appropriate CyberRx services and establish the scope, timeline, authorization, testing boundaries, confidentiality requirements, and rules of engagement. DSU specialists then conduct the agreed-upon cybersecurity and digital health assistance and turn the findings into a practical road map of next steps.
Everything from provider-specific vulnerabilities and credentials to EHR workflow information, technical findings, and remediation discussions will be treated as confidential and shared only with authorized representatives. Technical testing will only occur after the provider and DSU establish appropriate authorization, scope, testing boundaries, points of contact, escalation procedures, and rules of engagement. Testing will be planned to minimize risk to patient care and critical healthcare operations.
Our goal is to help you understand what matters, what should happen next, and how to make progress. This service does not sell hardware, software, cybersecurity products, or managed services. CyberRx will prepare you with resources including training, guidance, and tools to strengthen your organization’s cybersecurity efforts.
Ready to get started?
Strengthen your cybersecurity. Protect patient care. Prepare for what’s next.
Tell us about your organization and where you need assistance. The CyberRx SD team will follow up to better understand your needs, determine eligibility, and identify the services that may be appropriate for your organization.
Funding disclosure
This website is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of the Rural Health Transformation Project, a financial assistance award totaling $999,242.00, with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the South Dakota DOH and DSS and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government.