Network Infrastructure
Global spending on information security will reach $75.4 billion in 2015, an increase of 4.7 percent over 2014, according to analyst firm Gartner. Driving the spending are government initiatives, increased legislation and high-profile data breaches.
There are almost 5 billion connected smart devices already in use. A significant percentage of them are medical devices, from pacemakers to drug pumps. They're already being hacked so often that the trend has its own nickname.
Global health IT, management and outsourcing company Accenture has finalized its agreement to acquire Sagacious Consultants, an electronic health record consulting practice.
An insurance claims management company that reportedly failed to encrypt its data is in hot water after an IT professional uncovered detailed medical records of some 1.5 million people from its database online.
In a review of 20 of 62 contracts awarded for the development, implementation and operation of HealthCare.gov, the HHS Office of the Inspector General found the supervision of contractors on the job to be sorely lacking.
When the Federal Bureau of Investigation issues an alert to healthcare organizations and others warning of the serious cyber risks presented by the Internet of Things, it's probably best to pay attention.
The list of tools in a health organization's data security armamentarium is long and varied: firewalls, encryption, anti-virus, etc. But a truly risk-based security framework needs more than mere protective measures. It requires awareness.
Healthcare CIOs across the country are, more than ever before, intent on getting the most value from their hospital and health system EHRs.
A recent security report by Microsoft finds that, even when cloaked in encryption technology, "an alarming amount of sensitive information can be recovered" from electronic medical record databases.
Hackers had unfettered access to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield's information systems for more than a year and a half before the health plan even noticed the cyberattack had occurred.