If you work in the healthcare industry, it is important to consider different security challenges that can risk your data and how to mitigate them. For many businesses in the healthcare industry, there is strong likelihood that that at some point, your data will be breached. However, you may never even know that this has been the case.
While you may not always be aware that your data has been breached, having an understanding of security challenges your company may face is important.
1) Health Care Data:
In 2015 alone, 112 million patient records were breached, about 35% of the US population. This information is valuable to criminals who are accessing patient records that detail the health history of often people's entire lives. This information can be sold to others who use it for various purposes.
2) Shifting Towards a Culture of Data Security:
The healthcare industry has not had a culture of data security in the past and therefore moving towards one can include significant obstacles. While the technology itself may not be difficult to integrate, there is the question of ensuring that best security practices are maintained and all personnel are properly trained to upkeep these practices.
3) Organization-Wide Security Intelligence:
Everyone working at a given company or institution in the healthcare industry should have a strong understanding of best practices for security. By ensuring that personnel at different organizations are trained and fluent in these security practices, greater confidence can be found in overall security maintenance. Without organization-wide security intelligence, someone may unwittingly cause a security breach with significant consequences.
4) Investment in Modern Technology:
As technology changes rapidly, as do threats to security. Therefore, not only should companies shift towards. a culture of data security and ensure all staff are trained but they should also ensure they have technology and data professionals who can keep up with the latest trends.
5) Plan of Attack:
It is important for companies to have a plan for each identifiable risk to their data so that any threat can be quickly mitigated. Without a plan of attack, a company is not adequately prepared to deal with a security threat that could have disastrous consequences. By having a course of action readily available for deployment, companies position themselves to tackle challenges as they arise.
6) Towards Cloud-Based Storage Systems and SaaS Applications:
Companies without cloud based storage systems for their data may find themselves more susceptible to data security threats. By shifting towards these types of storage systems, companies in the healthcare industry are working with vendors that have legal intelligence, large budgets and staff trained to tackle security threats.
Technology changes at an exponential rate and therefore those working in the healthcare industry with significant amounts of sensitive data need to invest in various risk management courses of action. Without these courses of action, those in the healthcare industry leave themselves easily susceptible to security threats. Shifting the entire culture of an organization may be difficult in the short term. However, the long-term benefits are more important.
A shift in data security culture involves investing in highly trained data personnel, new technologies, partnerships with vendors and ensuring that all staff regardless of position understand how to best security practices. The greater investment into these areas, the less of a chance there will a security threat. By taking into account these challenges, health care professionals can better mitigate security threats.