Many healthcare organizations are continuously capturing and generating massive data pools. Unfortunately, amassing information isn’t the same thing as using information.
“Simply having a large data pool isn’t in and of itself going to tell you anything,” said CynergisTek CEO Mac McMillan. “You need the right tools to turn that data into actionable information.”
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While data pools do contribute to great awareness, McMillan said that data is useless if an organization doesn’t have the technology or policies in place to do anything with that information.
Further, while data pools are helpful to providing insights to activity within the network, it doesn’t contain vulnerabilities found on devices, said ICIT Senior Fellow James Scott.
"Consolidating organizations are struggling to align data across multiple applications."
Dave Dimond, Dell EMC
Analytics must become a natural part of the IT strategy, said Dell EMC’s Global Healthcare Business Chief Technology Officer Dave Dimond. But the healthcare industry hasn't been able to fully embrace analytics because most organizations are still struggling with the final implementation of meaningful use.
"And consolidating organizations are struggling to align data across multiple applications." Dimond said.
Also, more than 80 percent of global healthcare leaders aren't able react to data in real-time, even though it’s the real-time data that’s necessary to keep hackers out of a network.
The amount of information being collected by an organization requires the right technology to look for both changes in user and device behavior, instead of relying upon policies that focus more on how to prevent an attack -- rather than detect it. The more data an organization collects, the harder it is for a human eye to find inconsistencies.
“Does having a large data pool of events contribute to greater awareness? Absolutely,” said McMillan. “But you can’t just create a data pool and expect it’s going to tell you everything.”
Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com
