What is a risk associated with incremental IT upgrades in healthcare IT projects?

• A. They may leave gaps in security controls.
• B. They fully modernize security without extra cost.
• C. They remove need for governance.
• D. They guarantee future breaches.

Answer: (A)

Incremental IT upgrades can leave security gaps because you end up with a patchwork of systems at different update levels. Some components may have the latest protections while others remain on older, less secure versions, creating interfaces and data flows that aren’t uniformly protected. In healthcare, where patient data and regulatory requirements like HIPAA demand consistent security across the entire ecosystem, those uneven controls create new entry points for threats even as portions of the system are improved.

That’s why this option is the best fit: incremental upgrades risk gaps in security controls. The other statements aren’t accurate: they don’t automatically modernize security across all systems or reduce costs; governance is still necessary; and no approach can guarantee that breaches won’t occur, though it can reduce risk rather than eliminate it.