The Shaky Ground Beneath Long-Term Care: Thy Name is Data Insecurity By Diane Evans Recently, in reporting on a colossal cyberattack, the New York Times pointed to an “urgent need for better digital security” across healthcare. Within long-term care, the urgency amplifies, as data needs to be protected in so many places, such as residences, remote locations, vehicles, emails, texts, and across networks that may be unsecured. For long-term care providers, responsibilities extend to all employees, as the safe handling of information needs to be everyone’s job. Today, however, let’s just focus on IT. The challenge within long-term care is to find reasonable ground that demonstrates a good-faith effort to protect private information, given that up-to-date data systems may be unaffordable. The relief: Even the Feds recognize that appropriate data protections for any given provider depend on the size and resources of the entity. What’s essential, and doable for all, is to document a data security plan for your organization. The priority should be on mitigating high risks that hold potential to do the most harm. The good news is you don’t need technical expertise to assure best practices are in place, tracked and managed. Mainly, you need to know the most important things to check up on — understanding that you invite trouble when you assume IT professionals have everything covered. Priorities identified by private and public sources, including the federal. Department of Homeland Security and the Small Business Administration, include: ● Use of strong passwords, with signed commitments that no one will share passwords; ● Prompt updates of software or application of patches; ● Multi-factor authentication; ● Secure networks, with segregated networks to the extent possible (so that if networks become compromised in one facility, others within your organization won’t go down, too); ● Secure data backups; ● Effective staff training toward the goal of protecting in all places, including remote locations; ● Demonstration of a managed approach to data security. A test of whether you are effectively managing data security lies in the answer to this question: Do you know the questions to ask your IT professionals to assure accountability? If the answer is no, these bullet points give you place to start. Ask if these measures are in place––and request regular reports to ensure the work is being done. Know the things you currently don’t know. Ignorance will be no excuse in the event of a breach. About the author Diane Evans is founder of Guarded Edge, which offers training, privacy and data security management solutions and a HIPAA Expert On Call service for long-term care. Diane can be reached at devans@guardededge.com and welcomes suggestions for future columns. Readers may access a complimentary Social Media Policy by visiting www.guardededge.com.
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The Shaky Ground Beneath Long-Term Care: Thy Name is Data Insecurity By Diane Evans Recently, in reporting on a colossal cyberattack, the New York Times pointed to an “urgent need for better digital security” across healthcare. Within long-term care, the urgency amplifies, as data needs to be protected in so many places, such as residences, remote locations, vehicles, emails, texts, and across networks that may be unsecured. For long-term care providers, responsibilities extend to all employees, as the safe handling of information needs to be everyone’s job. Today, however, let’s just focus on IT. The challenge within long-term care is to find reasonable ground that demonstrates a good-faith effort to protect private information, given that up-to-date data systems may be unaffordable. The relief: Even the Feds recognize that appropriate data protections for any given provider depend on the size and resources of the entity. What’s essential, and doable for all, is to document a data security plan for your organization. The priority should be on mitigating high risks that hold potential to do the most harm. The good news is you don’t need technical expertise to assure best practices are in place, tracked and managed. Mainly, you need to know the most important things to check up on — understanding that you invite trouble when you assume IT professionals have everything covered. Priorities identified by private and public sources, including the federal. Department of Homeland Security and the Small Business Administration, include: ● Use of strong passwords, with signed commitments that no one will share passwords; ● Prompt updates of software or application of patches; ● Multi-factor authentication; ● Secure networks, with segregated networks to the extent possible (so that if networks become compromised in one facility, others within your organization won’t go down, too); ● Secure data backups; ● Effective staff training toward the goal of protecting in all places, including remote locations; ● Demonstration of a managed approach to data security. A test of whether you are effectively managing data security lies in the answer to this question: Do you know the questions to ask your IT professionals to assure accountability? If the answer is no, these bullet points give you place to start. Ask if these measures are in place––and request regular reports to ensure the work is being done. Know the things you currently don’t know. Ignorance will be no excuse in the event of a breach. About the author Diane Evans is founder of Guarded Edge, which offers training, privacy and data security management solutions and a HIPAA Expert On Call service for long-term care. Diane can be reached at devans@guardededge.com and welcomes suggestions for future columns. Readers may access a complimentary Social Media Policy by visiting www.guardededge.com. Home | Guarded Edge
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Master Your #DataSecurity #AuditPreparation with Our New #ComplianceChecklist Are you fully prepared for your next data security audit? Explore our blog where we reveal the 10 essential questions that will ensure your organization is audit-ready. Learn how to pinpoint your data's exact location, assess sensitive data categories, and strengthen your incident response plans. This checklist is more than just a list; it's a guide to fortifying your data security and #compliance framework. Take action now to elevate your organization's approach to data security and compliance. Read more here: https://hubs.ly/Q02m_d9T0 #DataGovernance #RiskManagement
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User access policies are crucial for security and compliance. Our IT Risk Advisory team advises that companies regularly review and update these policies to mitigate risks. Is your company's user access policy robust enough? #cybersecurity #compliance
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Senior Manager of Fiduciary Solutions at Schneider Downs Wealth Management Advisors, LP
User access policies are crucial for security and compliance. Our IT Risk Advisory team advises that companies regularly review and update these policies to mitigate risks. Is your company's user access policy robust enough? #cybersecurity #compliance
8 Key Considerations When Reviewing User Access
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🔐 Protecting your data is critical for your respondents' safety and for your project's integrity. Get actionable best practices for data security management in this guide: https://ow.ly/w0ho50PZUnw
A Comprehensive Approach to Data Security Management
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User access policies are crucial for security and compliance. Our IT Risk Advisory team advises that companies regularly review and update these policies to mitigate risks. Is your company's user access policy robust enough? #cybersecurity #compliance
8 Key Considerations When Reviewing User Access
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User access policies are crucial for security and compliance. Our IT Risk Advisory team advises that companies regularly review and update these policies to mitigate risks. Is your company's user access policy robust enough? #cybersecurity #compliance
8 Key Considerations When Reviewing User Access
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Worried unauthorized access could lead to a data breach? 😱 A well-defined user access certification process is critical for granting employees the right access to essential resources while safeguarding sensitive data. In our latest blog post, we delve into key focus areas for optimizing your access certification campaigns, helping you achieve: 🔒 Enhanced Security: Minimize access risks by ensuring only authorized personnel have access to the data they need. ✅ Improved Compliance: Align your access management practices with industry regulations and best practices. 📈 Streamlined Operations: Reduce administrative burden with efficient user access reviews. Check out our blog and empower your Zero Trust strategy ⬇️ #DataSecurity #AccessManagement #UserAccessCertification #ZeroTrustSecurity https://bit.ly/3L5wndA
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User access policies are crucial for security and compliance. Our IT Risk Advisory team advises that companies regularly review and update these policies to mitigate risks. Is your company's user access policy robust enough? #cybersecurity #compliance
8 Key Considerations When Reviewing User Access
schneiderdowns.com