The digitization of information in today’s healthcare business has resulted in enhanced services and the delivery of patient care; nevertheless, sadly, it has also given rise to some major side effects, namely assaults and breaches in cybersecurity.
The IT departments of today have a responsibility to be diligent in the identification of network vulnerabilities before such networks become the subject of cyberattacks. It is imperative that your company conduct routine security audits, and here is why you should do so.
Table of Contents
Determine the Most Critical Flaws in Your Cybersecurity Protections
Understanding your threats should always be the first step in developing any kind of strategic security strategy. Assessments of security are carried out by using a wide range of methods and examinations in order to carry out a comprehensive audit of your organization’s defensive measures against a number of attack tactics that may be carried out by intruders who are either internal or external.
It’s possible that a hacker from the outside is attacking your network, that a disgruntled employee is out for vengeance, or that malware is to blame. Your team will be able to decrease risk by updating software and patching unpatched systems once an evaluation has identified such systems.
Your security architecture may include unforeseen weaknesses, openings, or holes that might be exploited, and the purpose of an evaluation is to locate them. The findings will include every aspect of the investigation, from the credentials used to access the data and the software versions that require updating to the analysts’ methods of accessing the data and the particular information that was discovered.
Nevertheless, identification is simply the first step. Healthcare businesses benefit from security assessments because they provide a risk rating for each vulnerability, detailed instructions for fixing each flaw, and a chance to retest after making fixes.
Make certain that sensitive data is protected within your immediate environment.
A healthcare provider is responsible for the safety and security of any patient records, including electronic protected health information (e-PHI), that it generates, receives, maintains, or sends. In addition, it is necessary to conduct frequent audits of all storage and transmission mechanisms for protected health information (PHI), including databases, servers, mobile devices, linked medical equipment, and storage in the cloud.
Assessments of security may be performed on a regular basis to determine whether or not the security measures that have been established are effectively safeguarding sensitive and secret information from all possible points of attack.
Ensure that you are in Compliance with the Requirements, and that you are Ready for Audits
In order to prove compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule, all healthcare providers must perform and record frequent vulnerability scans of their healthcare equipment, apps, and networks. Furthermore, HIPAA mandates that covered organizations assess the probability and severity of threats to electronic protected health information (e-PHI), and then take and record the necessary precautions to secure the data. HHS mandates that PHI be safeguarded against “reasonably expected risks to security or integrity” and that you maintain “continuous, reasonable, and adequate security safeguards.”
There is a wide range of complexity and approach in security evaluations. Your company has access to a variety of services that may be tailored to meet its specific requirements. The assessment’s documentation of security and privacy rules is essential for future audits of processes and as a starting point for staff training.
Compliance does not, however, ensure security in this day and age because of the more sophisticated hacking and attacking tactics. Regular (at least yearly) evaluations guarantee your company meets HIPAA regulations and highlight areas beyond adherence that must be addressed to achieve standards and best practices.
Determine the Budgetary and/or Training Requirements
Your IT staff will be able to discover areas of weakness as well as chances for improvement in security protection if you have them do security assessments. Your IT (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology) staff is able to make more informed judgments regarding future security spending when they have a better understanding of where existing vulnerabilities exist and which ones are the highest priority. Assessments provide the paperwork required to justify or direct the security budget allocated to your IT department, as well as verify that budget in the eyes of the rest of the corporation.
Assessments provide healthcare businesses with the opportunity to cultivate a constructive internal discourse and promote vigilance across the organization. Your workforce is the single most critical factor in ensuring the safety of the network.
Make plans for unforeseen circumstances.
Consistently evaluating potential threats allows you to better prepare for the next time a crisis may hit. Whether your data is on-premise, inside the cloud, or both, a strategic backup strategy is crucial for disaster recovery and security.
During a review of the policy, you should determine what information is currently backed up or needs to be supported up, as well as how it should be backed up. You should also design methods to restore backups after a security breach, as well as standardized protocols for testing those restoration processes on a regular basis.
Policies and procedures pertaining to cyber security should be brought up to date and strengthened.
The technological tests that we have been going through up to this point are one component of a robust security posture with Tentacle.com, but they are not the only one. In addition to this, your corporation has to have solid rules and processes in place all across the company. When it comes to preserving protected health information and administrative data, you simply cannot afford to take a piecemeal approach.
Your company may hire professionals from related fields in order to analyze, update, and improve its cybersecurity policies and processes if it conducts a strategic security assessment. These improvements can include the following:
-
Control of access and administration of user accounts
-
Governance of information security risks and management of such risks
-
Enhanced protection for both workstations and devices
-
Planning for both the continuation of business and recovery after a catastrophe
-
Cryptography
-
safety of the environment and its contents
-
Security for both networks and operations
-
Architecture and design for secure systems
