Top Health IT Security Challenges? Medical Devices, Cloud Security

Cloud security and connected medical device security are the biggest IT challenges healthcare entities are facing under the current landscape, according to 46 percent of IT leaders surveyed in a recent Masergy report, sponsored by Fortinet.

Thirty-six percent of those leaders ranked the greatest challenge as the expanded remote and mobile workforce brought on by COVID-19.

The drastic increase in the use of IoMT and cloud platforms in the last year in response to the global pandemic has led to an equal rise in network demands. Fortunately, the shift has also led to a collective approach for both reliability and security, according to the report.

“Healthcare IT teams have daunting technical challenges to ensure network bandwidth, resilience, and security in the face of surging online care, including telemedicine, remote workforces, and medical IoT,” said Ray Watson, vice president of innovation at Masergy, in a statement.

“The IDG Healthcare IT survey reveals that an integrated network and security strategy is now an imperative to address these challenges,” he added.

Researchers surveyed 200 IT leaders from hospitals, pharmaceutical vendors, primary and urgent care sites, and other healthcare entities to assess how pandemic-driven changes like telemedicine and remote workers have accelerated network resiliency and cloud security demands.

In total, nearly all respondents (95 percent) reported an increase in network traffic since the emergency declaration in March 2020. And 92 percent of respondents had to increase the network bandwidth capacity to accommodate the rapid influx of connected medical devices.

“With the surge of remote healthcare and increased use of IoMT devices, there are more connected devices, cloud-based applications, and cloud platforms and services driving healthcare operations than ever,” researchers wrote. 

“This poses increased security risks, including anything from data breaches to phishing and malware attacks,” they added. “Ensuring continued healthcare security and data privacy is just as critical as ever.“

These changes, coupled with previous security challenges, have led to the three most pressing health IT security challenges. Twenty-one percent of respondents named ransomware and phishing as leading security concerns.

The increased network demands have also led to a shift in IT priorities, with many health IT leaders forced to adjust their strategies for the methods used to secure the infrastructure. To ensure cloud performance, data security, and HIPAA compliance, healthcare leadership is carrying a greater burden around in terms of monitoring and maintaining the influx of connected devices and increased network traffic.

The report found several promising statistics: 54 percent of respondents expect an increase to their IT budget in 2021, and 71 percent believe it’s highly important to integrate network solutions with security policies. An increase in resources and prioritization can ensure the expanded landscape is better secured.

There are also an increasing number of healthcare leaders investing in network and security technologies as an integrated platform. In previous years, network and security issues were often seen as separate, competing issues and led by different teams and initiatives.

Another 60 percent said it’s important to use a single security architecture, rather than multiple components or vendors, which delivers consistent security policies across multiple care sites. Another 67 percent said they consider an ultra-low latency network as highly or critically important.

Also notable, a majority of healthcare entities are considering partnering with managed service providers (MSPs) to address these risks: 80 percent are likely and 44 percent are very likely to engage with an MDP to handle their network and or security service.

According to respondents, MSP partnerships can provide cost savings (38 percent), enhanced network performance (37 percent), and improved response time (37 percent).

The data mirrors earlier findings, which consistently note that many healthcare providers are operating without a designated security person or lack the necessary resources to perform necessary security measures. As such, collaboration can be crucial to ensuring the enterprise is secured.

“The data reveals themes around convergence and simplicity, helping us further understand how healthcare IT organizations will thrive in 2021,” said Troy Ament, Field CISO for healthcare at Fortinet, in a statement.

“IT leaders prefer integrated network and security technologies that provide a more effective approach for managing digital healthcare and medical IoT devices,” he added.

As hackers have been teaming up and targeting the cloud infrastructure in greater force, healthcare entities looking to bolster their cloud security and medical device infrastructure should also review guidance from the Department of Homeland Security and the FDA.