Healthcare providers and organizations are investing in cybersecurity with the growing pervasiveness and sophistication of cyber crime. Cyber criminality is becoming both more anonymous and more lucrative, opening the market for hackers and other cyber criminals to prey on healthcare providers. Despite the healthcare industry estimated to spend $65 billion on cyber security through 2021, cyberattacks are expected to quadruple by the year 2020. Regardless of financial precaution, cyber criminals are being aided by certain factors the healthcare industry has yet to remedy:

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With cyber attacks on healthcare becoming more sophisticated and pervasive, it is increasingly clear healthcare providers have insufficient and outdated approaches to security. Digital security utilized by most healthcare providers functions by protecting against individual and immediate attacks, instead of being a universal, extensive strategy. For healthcare providers, tending to and caring for ill patients is the top priority, so any breach of data or any C-Suite member becoming compromised would result in total calamity for healthcare centers and their patients.

The following are five of the biggest threats facing healthcare cyber security:

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In strong customer-centric strategies, the customer is the business. So much so, that everything is molded into form through the buyer's perspective. It is as if the customer himself is creating the product or service for his own benefit. Listed below are five tips and tricks that can help businesses develop their customer-centric strategies:

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Giva is pleased to announce three new product Editions and related pricing. Giva now offers more options to custom fit your needs with the introduction of Team, Business and Professional Edition pricing.

All three Editions include all of Giva's modules with rich features and functionality:

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The number of breaches of unsecured protected health information (PHI) on record in the United States is over 2000 and counting. Significantly, these records only cover breaches affecting 500 or more individuals. One can only wonder how many more breaches have occurred on a smaller scale. The types of breaches range from theft and hacking, to improper disposal and unauthorized access as a result of negligence. Such incidents can be avoided if covered entities (companies involved in healthcare) ensure that all of their business associates are secured. There are many reasons why it is important to have secure business associates. Being aware of these reasons may prompt covered entities to take the necessary measures to protect their clientele's information:

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In October of 2016, a massive cyber attack against Dyn, a New Hampshire-based company that monitors internet traffic, blocked user access to many popular websites like Amazon, Twitter and Paypal. Hackers used a simple program that even novice hackers could use to access any device connected to Wifi. This is one of approximately 3000 cases in 2016 alone. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make yourself 100% hack proof, but here are some ways that you can make it difficult for hackers to access your information:

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For businesses and consumers alike, ensuring that concise service level agreements (SLA) are obtained for certain products is crucial to seamless operation and support. As Naomi Karten explains in her work on establishing service level agreements, "A service level agreement is a formal negotiated agreement which helps to identify expectations, clarify responsibilities, and facilitate communication between two parties, typically a service provider and its customers." Therefore, the SLA serves an important purpose as a communication and conflict-reduction tool, as well as an overall expectation management document.

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For healthcare organizations, remaining HIPAA compliant can be both necessary and challenging. In the United States, healthcare organizations are required to abide by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. This act provides guidelines pertaining to the handling of patient information across a number of platforms.

In an article by Kristen Lee, titled Q&A: The main reason healthcare organizations violate HIPAA, an interview is conducted with Michael Archuleta, director of IT and HIPAA security officer at Mt. San Rafael Hospital in Trinidad, Colorado. It is within this interview that Archuleta recommends two important items that can ensure HIPAA compliance:

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Each year, Verizon compiles a Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR). It is a comprehensive summary of data security threats and breaches that helps to better understand the landscape of cyber security.

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