“Houston, we have a problem.” This is not news to healthcare organizations, whether they are in Houston, Boston, St. Louis or San Francisco. 2015 was a banner year in healthcare, for all the wrong reasons. The increasing number of attacks on healthcare systems exposed security shortcomings: many unsecured attack vectors, compromised sensitive data and the possibility of catastrophic consequences.

2016 will bring more of the same. Healthcare organizations must speed up their security efforts to avoid putting their patients, and themselves, at risk. There were multiple data breaches in 2015—Anthem and Premera among them—as well as a well-publicized ransomware attack on Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center. 2016 will continue those trends. In fact, the Hollywood Presbyterian attack could have been the proving ground forthat ransomware, which may be put into larger, more costly attacks in 2016.

Fortunately, there is growing recognition among healthcare leaders that security needs to be at the top of their “must do” list. Firewalls are no longer enough to protect patient information. The expansion of the Internet of Medical Things has resulted in a borderless network perimeter. There are devices in use in multiple locations that must be secured, including: Continue Reading This Article