Zero Trust is More Than a Catch Phrase - Part 2

Experts believe that the need to implement and simplify Zero Trust has become an essential measure for healthcare organizations.  When society hears that hospital records were breeched (i.e., Kaiser Permanente Health Plan of Washington found an unauthorized user accessed nearly 70,000 patient records), this means more than personal information being obtained, it could also result in tampered records leading to potentially altered diagnoses and treatments. Knowing this the Zero Trust umbrella can create a more effortless and secure IT system for healthcare organizations. This will include the verification of user identify, device health and access policy which will ensure that only those needing access to network resources will have it. It only connects each user to the specific application or system they need and not the entire network.

In last month’s post, you learned about the importance and urgency to shift to a Zero Trust system.  The focus of this blog is to highlight how healthcare organizations can simplify the implementation of their Zero Trust security.

The healthcare delivery system is ever evolving, which makes them vulnerable to cyberattacks and requires them to keep changing their technology stacks and IT operations. One way to look at a Zero Trust security framework is through the lens of a cybersecurity model. In hindsight, healthcare organizations now need more robust, compact, and straightforward security standards to prevent ransomware attacks and protect sensitive Protected Health Information.

Operating in a Regulated Healthcare Landscape

Due to the digitalization of the work, and the need to provide online healthcare resources, the healthcare landscape has become more regulated and competitive, which makes it more challenging to operate securely. However, it propels healthcare service providers to adopt more advanced and modern security measures which includes a Zero Trust framework. Last year there were approximately 37% healthcare organizations that implemented a Zero Trust security system. Today that number has jumped to over 58%; yet that leaves too many vulnerable systems out there in the healthcare arena.  With data breaches often stemming from compromised credentials and phishing on internet applications, cloud applications significantly help healthcare service providers to boost productivity, get better outcomes, and improve patient care while during this under a more secure IT system. Since more physicians and organizations are adopting telemedicine, virtual patient visits, and advanced patient monitoring through interconnected IoT sensors, Zero Trust is especially critical in protecting both the individual and the healthcare system.

Healthcare organizations can combine their current IT architecture with advanced cloud services and applications by implementing multifactor authentication, securing vulnerable access points and leveraging and integrating identity and access management platforms. Understand that this initiative can become part of your zero-trust model. Ultimately, the focus of healthcare organizations should be to move away from legacy applications. Instead, healthcare can leverage the Zero Trust security model with the help of third-party service providers to execute day-to-day operations. “I know that the Zero Trust Network Access model is unique and may seem complex,” stated Reshma Moorthy. “The benefits are impactful, when you understand that this model allows you to be able to maintain your day-to-day workflow, because you can always trust/lean on the fact that there are limits for verifying user identity, managing device health, and creating access policy for your users,” Moorthy continued.

Zero Trust Approach: Simplified 

Zero Trust security framework allows end users to authorize, validate, and authenticate without network borders. A zero-trust strategy is an independent approach that paves the way for more opportunities to grow for healthcare organizations.

Once organizations realize and recognize the urgency to implement Zero Trust, they can move on to simplify security measures to reduce attacks and make more informed decisions. It will also help healthcare service providers to benefit from accurate automation responses and limit lateral movement any time data is compromised.  

When implementing a Zero Trust strategy, ensure security parameters are simple and robust which will allow healthcare organizations to address a wide range of internal issues.

Wrap Up

When healthcare organizations implement Zero Trust it ensures healthcare IT operations are secure and seamless. Healthcare organizations can achieve this threshold by verifying user device, identity, and access policy prior to granting direct access to network resources. It would connect only users to particular systems or applications rather than the network.

Implementing a zero-trust strategy is the best course of action for healthcare organizations. The key is to take a closer look at data workflow, security parameters, and governance to make Zero Trust strategy work for your needs. In retrospect, having dedicated, centralized, and simplified security standards will make it easier for healthcare organizations to manage their architecture system.

“I believe the best approach is to start with:

• Protect the hybrid cloud.

• Secure the hybrid and remote workforce.

• Preserve customer privacy.

• Reduce insider threat.

“The bottom line: REMEMBER TRUST NO ONE and if not sure contact me,” emphasized Moorthy.