Digitalization has created immeasurable opportunities for businesses over the past two decades. But the growth of hybrid work and expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) has outpaced traditional 'castle and moat' cybersecurity, introducing unprecedented vulnerabilities, especially in the healthcare industry. Although all organizations have important data to secure, healthcare holds some of the public's most sensitive personal health information (PHI) – not to mention insurance and financial data, as well.

Standard password use continues to undermine healthcare security and clinical efficiency.

Healthcare organisations have invested heavily in cybersecurity training, phishing awareness, and stronger password policies. Yet breaches, workflow disruption, and operational strain continue—and new data reveals why. Not only is the problem that passwords are being stolen, but that they are no longer a reliable security control in healthcare.

From the Frontline – a semi-regular series of blogs featuring independent thought leadership and comment from a range of leaders that span the healthcare industry.

Many IT teams spend long hours preparing solid business cases to gain board approval for digital transformation. James Freed, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Health Education England, argues that this approach is neither the best way to get the go ahead for projects, nor the right approach to deliver successful change.

What a landmark Australian privacy ruling reveals about identity, access, and regulatory expectations

Over the weekend, the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, announced investment of £40m to support projects aimed at easing the barriers to patient care due to the administrative burden on staff navigating slow login times. It’s long overdue that this challenge has been recognised by Central Government and given national prominence as it is something that we at Imprivata are exceptionally passionate about.

SLOW LOGINS STILL A TOP FRUSTRATION

Put yourself in my shoes… a Code Stroke patient arrives in our busy ER. Time is of the essence. We need to rapidly diagnose and treat the patient to prevent long term paralysis or even death. But nothing happens until we can access their health records, review the relevant data, order a CT scan, consult our colleagues, and initiate treatment. And none of that can happen at all because our hospital has put in a new enhanced password policy. As well they should. Keeping protected health information (PHI) private and secure is of utmost concern in healthcare…but more on that later.

It hasn’t hit the headlines, but it should do

While COVID-19, the US presidential election and Brexit have been hogging the headlines, there’s been a groundswell of change building in healthcare. Specifically around giving the nursing professional a voice that is heard.

This World Manufacturing Day, the spotlight is on how manufacturers are embracing Industry 4.0—powered by IIoT, automation, and AI—while grappling with the security risks that accompany hyper-connected environments.