Because healthcare providers operate using a wide range of hardware and software to undertake their work, as well as complex interconnected systems that share information about service users and patients in real time between different providers, ensuring the security of your network is a key pillar for keeping healthcare organisations secure.
The ransomware attack on Advanced last year and the Wannacry attacks in 2017 show how interconnected networks can be compromised, leading to the spread of the threat both within and beyond effected organisations. In this piece, we explain why regular network security assessments are indispensable for healthcare providers, and how they can effectively fortify their digital defences.
Understanding Network Security in Healthcare
Network security involves protecting the elements of your network such as your work devices, servers, routers, IoT device and your software from unauthorised access, attack or corruption by cybercriminals. Cybercriminals may use any of these elements as a gateway for spreading a malicious software like ransomware to shut your organisation down for private gain.
This is particularly important for the healthcare sector for a number of reasons:
- Healthcare organisations are targeted more often: knowing how vital the sensitive data of these organisations are, and that they have a generally wider attack surface, cybercriminals tend to target healthcare organisations more than many other sectors.
- Regulatory Compliance and Data Protection: Adherence to data protection regulations, such as the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, is a non-negotiable. Network security assessments help healthcare organisations to get the lay of the land of any vulnerabilities in their IT environment and prioritise their efforts at consolidating their cyber security more effectively.
- The Rise of Telehealth and Remote Services: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth and remote healthcare services, which has also increased the need for improved network security measures to ensure these services are delivered securely and without interruption.
How A Managed Services Provider Can Bolster Your Network Security
Many MSPs can use their deep expertise in IT and cyber security to help you to get a full understanding of your network’s security posture, its vulnerabilities, as well as actionable insights specifically for your organisation.
These can do this by undertaking an audit of your network’s assets, seeing how they are configured and connected together. They can also offer penetration testing, which involves simulating cyber-attacks to test the integrity of your network. The key benefit is that for most healthcare organisations this will bring the expertise that they would otherwise lack to fill in these security gaps, helping them to operate securely and with peace of mind.
The benefits of regular network security assessments include:
- Mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks breaching your business, and their effects
- Identify threats and eliminate vulnerabilities before they can be exploited
- Protect your reputation and maintain patient and service user trust
- Improved business continuity from creating a resilient network
- Lower costs from cyber incidents that could cause loss of time, data breach fines, and even potential lawsuits
Get In Touch to Discuss Your Own Half-Hour Cyber Awareness Training
The vast majority of cyber incidents are caused by human error, get in touch with us today to discuss a cyber aware awareness training session for your business, and transform your weakest security link into your strongest security and compliance protection asset.
Our sessions equip teams with the knowledge of cyber security best practices and the ability to detect even sophisticated phishing threats, enabling your business and its compliance posture to focus on what it does best, uncompromised by today’s cyber threats.
Final Thoughts
Network security assessments are something of an unsung hero in the realm of cyber security for healthcare organisations. Alongside other measures like encryption, data backup and recovery, monitoring and updating your IT environment, network security assessments enable you to keep the foundations of your IT environment secure and stable, offering a critical line of defence for healthcare organisations across the UK.
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