New Way Now: MERGE saves $500k and proactively secures healthcare data with Google SecOps

*Featured in this video:*
Roze San Nicholas, Director of Information Security, MERGE
Jeremy Hehl, Chief Evangelist, Foresite Cybersecurity

*Executive summary:* MERGE, a marketing technology agency focused on healthcare and wellness, needed a unified security platform to protect sensitive client data and maintain its rigorous HITRUST certification. By partnering with Foresite Cybersecurity and migrating to Google SecOps, MERGE transformed from a reactive to a proactive security posture. Foresite acts as a true extension of MERGE's team, providing 24/7 managed detection and response. This consolidation and agentic-led approach saved MERGE nearly $500,000 in staffing costs and enabled its internal team to focus on strategic governance and AI innovation.

*Challenge:* As a marketing technology agency that serves highly regulated healthcare customers, MERGE must maintain a stringent HITRUST R2 certification, and the team is preparing to add AI systems to its upcoming audit. With its previous security provider contract coming to an end, MERGE saw an opportunity to consolidate security into one platform. To do so, MERGE sought an expert partner that was capable of keeping up with rapid innovation.

*Solution:* MERGE engaged Foresite, an agentic-led SOC partner for Google Cloud, to unify its security architecture into a single pane of glass. Running a structured parallel migration over seven months, MERGE transitioned to Google SecOps Enterprise Plus alongside Foresite's Citadel managed detection and response product. Using Google Threat Intelligence and Security Command Center, Foresite provides MERGE with round-the-clock monitoring, automated logging, and the custom dashboards necessary to satisfy rigorous HITRUST control requirements.

*Result:* The collaboration allowed MERGE to achieve a highly proactive security posture while realizing nearly $500,000 in cost savings by not having to staff an in-house SOC or hire specialized cloud security engineers. With Foresite's experts continuously triaging alerts, MERGE's internal security team reclaimed significant time to focus on strategic outcomes around governance, risk, and compliance. This robust, AI-ready foundation empowers MERGE to confidently upgrade to HITRUST v11.5, maintaining a critical competitive advantage and building deep trust with their healthcare clients.

*Highlights and key takeaways from our interview with Roze San Nicholas and Jeremy Hehl:*

→ “Being proactive with Google Threat Intelligence and…having that visibility and capability to monitor real time all the time is something we didn't have before.”

→ “The partnership with Google Cloud and Foresite solidifies our commitment to maintaining [HITRUST] certification.”

→ “With Google Cloud and Foresite, MERGE is creating a new way to secure trust behind health and wellness at scale.”

*Google Cloud products used:* Google SecOps, Google Threat Intelligence

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