Cybersecurity across the continuum of care
Cybersecurity across the continuum of care
Real-world experiences from three healthcare providers
Introduction
Today, healthcare organizations are more connected than ever before.
Digital technology opening up a new world of opportunities, increasing access to quality care and reducing costs. To take advantage of the opportunities transformation provides, healthcare organizations must address security and regulatory requirements to mitigate risk.
Just think of the volume of healthcare data being transferred and stored every day —
data from connected medical devices, electronic health records (EHR), clinical workstations, and smart hospital applications for patients, clinicians, researchers, and administrators.
All of this data requires a strong defense
against cybersecurity breaches and to enhance patient safety. As the number of attacks in healthcare continue to increase along with the sophistication of threats, providers must find the best ways to tackle these challenges. Read on to learn what’s at stake and how Cisco is helping three providers today.
What’s at stake: Security breaches
Disruption of clinical and administrative processes
Network downtime and loss of critical server and application
operations are common effects of poor security. The more a
provider relies on networks, EHR, practice management systems,
and clinical information systems, the more an unavailable network
can interfere with a provider’s ability to treat patients.
Loss of patient and partner confidence
A healthcare provider that has been victimized by hackers may
find it difficult to earn back trust and loyalty. Patients, insurers,
and clinical partners are understandably reluctant to share
information with an organization that cannot protect private data.
Financial costs
Under regulatory requirements (such as HIPAA in the U.S.),
providers that fail to protect confidential patient data can face
stiff penalties and liability from litigation. To combat these
threats, providers need consistent, scalable, enterprise-wide
security solutions that continually safeguards their networks.
Protecting sensitive health data against ransomware
University of Kansas Hospital
University of Kansas Hospital
Kansas City, Kansas, US
2500+ doctors and nurses
The University of Kansas Hospital is 10,000 users strong and one of the premier hospitals in the midwestern United States. Patient care—from arrival to release—is the number-one priority for the hospital. As the facility has grown, so has the network, and the need for visibility into internet activity across all devices.
CHALLENGE
- Protect medical devices and patient, research, and financial information from ransomware
- Provide secure Wi-Fi access for guests, staff, and patient devices
SOLUTION
RESULTS
- Simple - Deployed in minutes
- Open - Integration took an hour or less
- Effective - Reduced forensics from 2 days to 1-4 hour
"There has been a lot of ransomware that has affected hospitals throughout the nation, throughout the world. We see about 100,000 hits against our network. 20-30% are ransomware.”
"Umbrella is keeping pace with the bad guys. They are constantly improving the product… We want to be the premier hospital, and with Umbrella, I think we are going to get there.”
- Henry Duong, Infrastructure Security Manager,
University of Kansas Hospital
Watch the full story
Going mobile without sacrificing security
Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (ABMU)
ABMU Health Board
Wales, U.K.
16,000 staff
The ABMU Health Board serves a population of approximately 500,000 people via four hospitals and number of primary-care centres. ABMU formulated a vision to unburden doctors and nurses from filling out forms and writing notes, making clinicians more mobile for better care at the bedside and out in the community.
CHALLENGE
SOLUTION
RESULTS
-
Lower risk from cyber threats with integrated security
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Faster, safer flow for clinical applications and large data files
-
Streamlined security policies for controlling network access
“We needed to help the organization to move faster, more efficiently, and more securely. To do that, we had to transform our network and IT
operations with the latest advances in mobility, cloud, analytics, and the Internet of Things.”
“Hospitals must have robust safety processes in place. With Cisco ISE, only authorized personnel can use mobile devices to access a drug
cabinet. Additionally, pharmacy inventory tracking is automated by stock level and by prescriber.”
- Gareth Siddell, Network Manager, ABMU
Read the full story
Simplifying security to empower innovation
Sentara Healthcare
Sentara Healthcare
Virginia and North Carolina, U.S.
28,000 team members
In this age of digitization, hopes and expectations for healthcare have never been greater. Not only to develop advanced clinical treatments, but also to deliver better patient experiences and outcomes.
For Sentara Healthcare that means doing more with less and providing a highly secure, digital care environment. With 300-plus care sites, this is a constantly moving target.
CHALLENGE
- Remain at the forefront of security
- Help IT meet growth demands securely and quickly
- Establish consistent insight into network traffic
- Secure access of medical network devices
SOLUTION
RESULTS
- Greater protection for patients and clinicians
- Less chance of malware contagion between clinical systems and applications
- Faster threat response and remediation
- More time for IT to spend innovating and combating new risks
“We’re no longer tied to individual appliances; it’s now security with automated simplicity.”
“With Cisco ISE we can see everything hitting our network - who, what, when, where, how, and why. This adds context to ensure the right people are accessing the right information.”
- Chad Spiers, Director of Information Security,
Sentara Healthcare
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Cisco’s technology, scale, and expertise provide the broad and deep capabilities needed to improve security in healthcare. This means simple, open, automated security with integrated threat defense that detects and remediates threats faster and accelerates innovation.
