Jun 23, 2017
We mentioned in our previous blog post that data security is a major concern for hospital CIOs. While protecting data from external threats should be a top priority, guarding against internal healthcare security risks is equally important. We aren’t talking a grandiose conspiracy to dismantle your organization’s network. Rather, it’s often the little things…the Internet of Things. As SecurityIntelligence reports, intruders are developing new ways into your network through these IoT devices – even ones as simple as cameras and baby monitors.
Are your employees using applications on their smartphones, smartwatches, tablets or personal laptops as part of their jobs? It’s likely that these IoT devices do not adhere to the same security protocols as your internal systems. Employees could connect these devices to the same network as your organization’s desktop computers, email servers, or corporate databases, thus creating new security gaps that you may have not been aware of.
As IoT devices become more ubiquitous, there’s no denying that they will continue to integrate into mundane work tasks. The longer that healthcare CIOs ignore the potential threats that these devices pose to data security, the more they become a possible entryway into your network. It’s important, however, to note that this isn’t a device manufacturer problem, it’s a workplace culture problem. If the norm in your healthcare facility is to connect IoT devices to the same network that medical devices, internal data storage and communication platforms are connected to, then you have just identified the need for cultural change within your organization.
Establishing a subnetwork for healthcare IoT devices and encouraging employees to use a designated subnetwork for their personal devices is one way to offset potential dangers. However, we stress that integrating ETHERFAX is the best way to securely deliver patient data and other health-critical records.
ETHERFAX’s Secure Exchange Network (SEN) is the world’s largest HIPAA compliant fax network with over six million connected endpoints leveraging military-grade encryption and hybrid cloud technology for 100 percent secure document transmission. Not only is ETHERFAX SEN reliable, but it is engineered to meet today’s standards for speedy delivery. Where a 50 page document would traditionally require about 30 minutes to transmit, ETHERFAX SEN can deliver it in seconds.
The best part? You don’t need to throw away your existing fax infrastructure. The ETHERFAX A2E is the plug-and-play device designed to connect your legacy analog system to the ETHERFAX network in the cloud and integrate remote fax machines from various locations. The ETHERFAX A2E enables your organization to create a private fax network through ETHERFAX SEN and requires no training after implementation.
Putting fax at the forefront of your organization’s communications will place security at the center of its culture. ETHERFAX technology is designed to make fax transmissions faster and more secure while costing you less. Contact us today to see how we can help bring 100 percent secure communications to your facility.