The healthcare industry’s rapid adoption of transformative technologies has created a complex digital landscape, casting the role of cybersecurity in a new light. The sector’s stewardship of sensitive patient information means it faces distinct challenges in prudently providing innovative solutions that enhance the patient experience. Improving care to ensure optimal outcomes is the primary goal; however, healthcare organizations also face mounting pressure to balance rapid resource deployment with the fortification of digital infrastructure, applications and systems against escalating cyber threats.
The Critical Role of Cybersecurity in Healthcare’s Digital Shift
The healthcare industry is at the epicenter of a digital transformation that has affected everything from telemedicine to electronic health records. This evolution is crucial for elevating care standards and organizational efficiency. With innovation comes risk, and the speed at which organizations must launch and update applications to meet patient needs increases their exposure to cyber threats.
The sensitive data managed by healthcare organizations has always appealed to cybercriminals, which has made the industry a longstanding target. The addition of rapidly advancing technologies has significantly raised the stakes. Many companies now find themselves in a seemingly endless struggle to stay ahead of the curve – patching emerging vulnerabilities and stemming the tide of exploits before they reach cybercriminals’ crosshairs. Recent research found that two-thirds of healthcare organizations surveyed have already experienced disruption to patient care due to cyber attacks. Clearly the risks linked with ongoing digital transformations have intensified existing vulnerabilities, underscoring the need for robust, proactive cybersecurity strategies.
Weaving Automation into Cybersecurity is Key to Enhancing Strategies
One of healthcare’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges is the need for automation. Manual IT tasks are not only laborious but also prone to errors. Automating processes drives efficiency and reduces risk by allowing organizations to refocus resources on higher-level strategic efforts that minimize the potential for misconfigurations, a leading cause of security breaches.
To thwart those breaches, many organizations jump to the conclusion that zero trust cybersecurity – which requires verification for all access to a network or application – is the solution. It is on the rise, with a recent survey reporting 86.5% of security professionals have begun implementing aspects of the model, but the most efficient use of zero trust requires a nuanced approach. Consider a healthcare application owner introducing new features to their patient portal and mobile app. Traditionally, this involves submitting change requests to security, network operations and cloud security teams for review, possibly delaying deployment for months.
To streamline this process, organizations should focus on automation levels, starting small and scaling up. Beginning with manual processes that incorporate limited automation, they can gradually introduce more, ultimately achieving “zero touch” efficiency. This progression at a safe speed enables rapid deployment of secure applications and updates without compromising protection.
Automation, which plays a multifaceted role in cybersecurity, can also accelerate response times to threats and incidents. Optimized systems that continuously monitor networks and endpoints typically identify and neutralize threats faster than humanly possible. Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are key components in this approach, enabling systems to learn from data patterns and historical incidents to predict and prevent potential hacks. This learning capability strengthens healthcare organizations’ threat intelligence stances, enabling them to anticipate and proactively counteract security weaknesses. If an incident does occur, automated tools can swiftly isolate affected systems, deploy fixes and reset credentials, thereby reducing the window of opportunity for cybercriminals.
In addition, automation is a vital ally in the battle for compliance. Regulatory adherence with HIPAA, Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) and other measures is a significant concern for healthcare organizations. Failing to comply can result in fines, penalties and reputational damage. The demands of compliance, which include comprehensive logging and reporting of data access and management practices, are more manageable through automated mechanisms, such as forensics and reporting tools. They can generate comprehensive insights, provide detailed documentation of IT incidents and resolutions, and provide audit support by quickly producing reports to demonstrate the necessary controls are in place.
Address the Talent Shortage in Healthcare IT with an Eye on the Future
A shortage of skilled IT professionals is another major hurdle in maintaining a hospital’s robust data protection measures. A global cybersecurity talent gap of 4 million professionals has many organizations struggling to fill critical roles, and the crisis shows no signs of subsiding. In fact, by 2025, experts predict a lack of talent or human failure will be responsible for over half of significant cybersecurity incidents. While it may seem logical to compensate by investing more in team resources, that won’t alleviate the pressures of escalating workloads and staff attrition. To effectively combat emerging cyber threats and ensure the reliable delivery of quality patient care, healthcare IT teams require real-time, actionable intelligence – a capability enabled by AI.
AI can help healthcare cybersecurity teams improve their productivity, visibility and responsiveness. And that’s just the beginning. AI is poised to revolutionize the industry, driving innovation to unprecedented levels. With the increasing utilization of cloud technology, the possibilities are endless and may include concepts like hybrid ecosystems that seamlessly integrate traditional data centers with cloud solutions. It also ensures secure connectivity no matter if the application is in the cloud, data centers, hospital facilities or campuses. This maintains visibility and connectivity while ensuring network integrity.
The convergence of healthcare and cybersecurity is a dynamic and challenging area. As organizations continue to undergo technology-driven transformations, the need for robust digital defenses will only grow. To stay competitive, healthcare companies must keep pace with technological advancements and adapt their security models accordingly to protect patient data, maintain regulatory compliance and secure connectivity of their applications anywhere. Automation and innovative breakthroughs like AI and cloud computing will be crucial in this endeavor.
Chris Thomas
Chris Thomas, Chief Revenue Officer at AlgoSec, has over 25 years of experience in technology sales, partnerships and executive management. He has been part of the executive management teams that led four venture-backed companies to three successful acquisitions and one $1.2B IPO. Most recently, Chris was SVP, Worldwide Sales for Vidyo, an enterprise-grade unified communications platform for businesses and developers. Prior to Vidyo, he was SVP of Worldwide Business Development at Intralinks, SVP Worldwide at Deja, and President & CEO at Summitworks Technology, an IT solutions provider. Chris also held senior sales positions at Kontiki, Ziff Davis and IDG. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in business from The Catholic University of America.
