Healthcare IT Support is Vital to Prevent Breaches
Some startling information from a 2016 Checkpoint Security report makes it abundantly clear that more organizations need to take security of their data very seriously as the question is not if you will be breached but when. Perhaps even more frightening is the fact that on average, it takes more than 200 days to discover that a breach or hacker has gained access to a corporate network. By that time, the damage has already been done. For the healthcare industry, the time is now to find quality, knowledgeable healthcare IT support to ensure the safety and efficacy of their data. More importantly, the safety and well-being of their patients.
In one of the largest breaches of government data in the history of the United States, the Office of Personnel Management, the central human resources repository for the United States Government had detailed security data stolen from 5.6 million employees. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security official Andy Ozment, the breach began almost a year before it was ever discovered.
These attackers used what has become a common approach to hacking a corporate network by introducing malware packages, which establish a persistent backdoor entry point to the network. Contrary to popular belief, firewalls and antivirus software alone are not enough to keep these types of attacks at bay. Many of these malware attacks are successful because the malicious software is not yet recognized by security systems. In fact, it only takes a minor modification to existing malware code for it to be rendered invisible to antivirus software programs.
If that’s not bad enough, research indicates that even known malware, with recognizable signatures that should be caught and stopped by antivirus programs are being downloaded onto enterprise networks. The reason? Organizations are not being PROACTIVE with their security practices and are not staying up to date with critical security patch management.
Mobile devices have become yet another gateway into the corporate network. All too often, companies provide Wi-Fi to their employees who connect their smartphones, tablets, and personal laptops to the corporate Wi-Fi network, creating yet another attack vector that malicious hackers can very easily exploit to gain access to ePHI and other sensitive corporate data.
For the healthcare provider, these are dangerous waters to navigate and great care should be given to who you choose to help you secure and monitor your environment. There are a multitude of technology support providers that are happy to provide services to the healthcare industry but you have to ask yourself and the vendors you consider, just how knowledgeable and focused they are on the unique challenges in the healthcare industry.
Malware, patch management, and security best practices have some common technologies and approaches across industries but to receive quality healthcare IT support, you should look for partners who have significant experience in the industry and best case, focus very narrowly on healthcare IT in particular. It is nearly impossible for any organization to keep up with all of the changes in regulations, compliance, and trends across industries so finding quality healthcare IT support can be a challenge when nearly all technology support organizations claim to have a handle on it.
Looking for quality healthcare IT support? Give us a call today to find out how we can help to improve the security of your environment and protect your data and your reputation.
