Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, no industry has been spared from dramatic changes to day-to-day operations, consumer demand, worker shortage, and supply chain disruption. But healthcare stands out as an industry under extreme pressure to perform. Cybersecurity and IT can play a role in improving patient care, even amid a challenging time for health systems of all sizes.
Healthcare operations have taken a hit as demand for services exploded with the COVID-19 pandemic, and worker shortage intensified pressure on delivering patient care. Just as nursing administrators have pivoted, IT administrators and CISOs continue to adapt quickly to a surge in patient demand, legacy technology, and a transition to expanded on-demand telehealth services.
Here’s what InfoSystems leaders are watching in healthcare.
Ransomware and data breaches are a real threat. Healthcare has not been spared from data breaches or ransomware attacks. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) details the ongoing threat of ransomware attacks in the healthcare sector, and attackers aren’t slowing down. Ransomware groups continue to threaten healthcare companies, most frequently targeting health or medical clinics. In quarter 3 of 2021 alone, HHS tracked 68 ransomware incidents globally affecting the healthcare sector, and the HHS Cybersecurity Program indicates no signs of slowing.
With an influx of connected technology, CISOs in healthcare are tasked with addressing a wider scope of vulnerabilities. A top-down approach to assessing risk, updating legacy technology, and prioritizing data safety is necessary, especially when facing the threat of cyberattack.
InfoSystems cybersecurity professionals encourage healthcare CISOs to plan for the “when” and not the “what if” scenarios of ransomware attacks that can take down an enterprise for weeks — and at a high financial cost.
HIPAA compliance and privacy of personally identifiable information is crucial. As a cybersecurity consultant, InfoSystems understands the complexities of data security in healthcare. Cybersecurity professionals with InfoSystems execute risk and gap assessments for healthcare organizations to pinpoint vulnerabilities, ensure HIPAA compliance, and maintain policies to prevent security violations.
Legacy technology can present a challenge. IT optimization is key for healthcare organizations that often operate with limited cybersecurity resources and legacy technology. InfoSystems builds strategic, custom plans for enterprise systems to build efficiencies, streamline systems, and create security protocols for data storage. InfoSystems professionals understand the solutions to yield the best results for optimized IT infrastructure and find solutions that optimize an enterprise’s existing technology and maximize security.
AI and process automation are here to stay. For healthcare organizations, AI and process automation may advance patient care and practice efficiencies by leaps and bounds, especially facing an employee shortage. InfoSystems guides clients to adopt the right technology for the task, including automation for back office processes that free up employees to focus on more advanced tasks and can eliminate input errors.
InfoSystems provides healthcare leaders and CISOs with the tools, knowledge, and strategies to protect important assets, build efficiency, and streamline IT processes to optimize business and patient care outcomes.
Ready to amplify cybersecurity at your healthcare organization? Contact InfoSystems to get started.
About InfoSystems
For over 25 years, InfoSystems has provided reliable IT solutions to build and maintain strong and secure systems for both SMB and enterprise organizations. Headquartered in Chattanooga, TN, our trusted team of experts specialize in traditional infrastructure, IT optimization and cybersecurity services, as well as next gen solutions such as hybrid cloud and automation, from partners such as IBM, Red Hat, Dell Technologies, Microsoft and VMware.
