ThedaCare is a healthcare network operating seven hospitals and over 180 points of care across 17 counties in northeast and central Wisconsin. With more than 115 years in operation and a workforce exceeding 28,000, it serves a service area of nearly 650,000 residents - close to half of Wisconsin's population. That footprint means the attack surface is large: connected medical devices, EHR systems, telehealth infrastructure, and operational technology across clinical environments all require defense.
For cybersecurity professionals, the threat model centers on protecting patient data integrity and availability across a sprawling, multi-site health system. Healthcare networks of this scale contend with ransomware targeting clinical workflows, supply chain risk through third-party medical vendors, and regulatory pressure under HIPAA. The organization invests $430 million annually in community health, signaling both scale and operational complexity.
ThedaCare's stated values include innovation and agility - language that, in a health system context, often translates to ongoing digital transformation projects and the security work that comes with them. The network's combination of acute care hospitals, population health programs, and community health services creates a diverse technical environment where security teams must balance clinical uptime with continuous threat mitigation.
