Is there greater use of remote patient monitoring, remote consultations, mobile apps, and online portals? Do you have new systems in play for things like patient billing and consultation scheduling? All of this translates into the creation of a lot of extra data. And in fact, estimates suggest that the annual growth rate of data within the healthcare sector is 36%; 6% faster than manufacturing, and 10% faster than financial services.  

The more data you control, the harder the challenge in securing it. Managing larger and more varied datasets tends to require more personnel and human input, increasing the likelihood of error. Estimates suggest that the average healthcare organization holds more than 42 million sensitive data records. A single breach can potentially expose millions of records at once, leading to major financial, legal, and reputational damage.

On the other, it’s absolutely vital that clinical staff have the required access to the right data at the right time in order to deliver effective patient care.

Healthcare data security involves managing a balancing act between data protection and accessibility. There’s no quick fix for this. Instead, it involves implementing a package of measures: things like role-based access controls (RBACs), secure but user-friendly digital health record systems, multi-factor authentication, and end-to-end encryption for communication channels.

It’s a common problem throughout the sector. In fact, according to one study by the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), 80% of healthcare organizations were found to have legacy operating systems in place.

Budget restraints coupled with the need to ensure continuity of care mean that it’s impossible to upgrade your legacy systems all at once. The emphasis has to be on the appropriate management of the ongoing risks. This includes (where possible), continuous monitoring of legacy equipment for unusual patterns or unauthorized access attempts, implementation of custom patches, firewalls to limit their exposure to the broader network, and enhanced access controls.

If you don’t have the right remote device and asset management capabilities, it becomes especially challenging to maintain visibility and control over your IT estate.

For example, different locations might interpret security policies in different ways, making it harder to implement a uniform approach, and leading to inconsistent protection across your organization. If you have to physically visit each and every computer and piece of machinery to ensure they are properly configured and updated, it can be a massive strain on both time and budgets.

RFID-based equipment tracking, smart beds, automated patient data updates, smart environmental monitoring: these are just a few of the IoT-related initiatives that you may have in place already or are considering implementing.

However, with new technologies come new risks. In 2022 alone, the healthcare sector saw a 33% year-on-year increase in the volume of IoT malware attacks. The more devices you introduce (for example, connected sensors, monitors, and trackers), the bigger your attack surface, and the greater the chances of data exposure. As you embrace new IoT projects, it’s essential that your device management and security practices remain fit-for-purpose: i.e. capable of tracking and controlling each and every device you have in play.

Around 90% of cybersecurity incidents are linked to human error: people inadvertently taking action they shouldn’t, whether it’s clicking on infected links, divulging their credentials, or downloading apps without IT’s knowledge or oversight (shadow IT).

Regular, role-specific cybersecurity training is obviously essential. But so too is the realization that no matter how effective your training, you can never completely mitigate against the risk of human error, especially in an environment where attention is focused squarely on patient care. It’s another reason why visibility is so important: such as, keeping track of each and every device across the network, monitoring for suspicious activity, and being able to intervene quickly where necessary.