Understanding Healthcare IT Security Companies

With cyberattacks on the rise in the healthcare industry, many healthcare organizations are looking to implement new cybersecurity capabilities and institute best practices to fortify their defenses. They are searching for cybersecurity companies that can provide the tools, services, and guidance for developing a robust and adaptive strategy.

What do providers, payers, and other healthcare organizations need from cybersecurity companies? Beyond offering effective solutions, cybersecurity companies must understand the unique needs of healthcare organizations: They must understand how to prevent the types of attacks plaguing the healthcare sector and how to protect the privacy of patient data. But they also must help ensure that healthcare organizations can maintain compliance with strict government regulations, including HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996). 

Identifying essential requirements, reviewing top solution vendors and service providers, and understanding how best to evaluate companies can put your organization on the right path toward selecting the most appropriate partners. From there, you can begin to plan for implementing a cybersecurity program and preparing for a rapidly changing landscape.

The Importance of Healthcare Cybersecurity

Strengthening cybersecurity must be a top priority for healthcare organizations today. Attacks can cause serious service disruptions that directly impact patient care. Those attacks can also result in significant financial losses as organizations pause services, pay ransoms, recover data, conduct forensic investigations, pay fines, and settle lawsuits. 

Healthcare organizations might be unable to stop cybercriminals from launching attacks, but they must do everything in their power to halt attacks before they interrupt services. They need to continuously protect patient data and maintain confidentiality. Strengthening cybersecurity will help them avoid financial losses and the reputational damage that can follow attacks. By demonstrating their commitment to security, they can build patient trust.

What Makes a Strong Healthcare Cybersecurity Company

Most healthcare organizations will benefit from working with a cybersecurity solution vendor or managed service services provider (MSSP) to acquire the necessary capabilities for defending against today’s threats. What should your organization look for in a cybersecurity company?

Consider companies that can help you address the key areas of data protection, access management, and risk identification. If possible, find a single organization that can meet all three needs, so you can avoid the complexity of dealing with multiple vendors.

In your evaluation process, include companies that offer 24/7 monitoring and incident response capabilities. Attacks can happen at any time, and they can expand fast. You need ways to identify and respond to attacks rapidly.

A cybersecurity company’s services and solutions should also integrate easily with your existing IT infrastructure, whether that infrastructure is on premises or in the cloud. Few healthcare organizations have the time or resources to implement custom integrations or completely overhaul their environment to accommodate new security capabilities.

Importantly, consider working with a company that has healthcare-specific expertise. The company’s team members should understand the requirements of HIPAA compliance. They should also be aware of emerging threats, such as attacks against medical devices and equipment, so they can help you better prepare your organization.

If your organization is pursuing HITRUST Common Security Framework (CSF) certification, you’ll need to find a cybersecurity company that can assist you in that process. Achieving HITRUST certification can be a time- and resource-consuming process; working with an experienced partner can help you streamline your efforts.

Key Cybersecurity Services for Healthcare Organizations

Some cybersecurity companies offer more than products—they provide services that can help you enhance security and implement better processes within your organization. For example, consider companies that offer risk assessments and audits, so you can identify security gaps and focus new efforts on the right areas. Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing can also help ensure that you are sufficiently addressing any deficiencies.

Working with an MSSP is often a good option for healthcare organizations because an MSSP can alleviate many of the day-to-day burdens of cybersecurity. For example, a cloud-based MSSP could offer managed detection and response services, acting as a first-line defense against attacks. You can rely on the MSSP to handle key security tasks while your organization stays focused on creating innovative products or serving patients. 

Cybersecurity companies can also help you build a more security-oriented organization. The right company can offer security awareness training to employees, empowering them to contribute to risk reduction. Moreover, a cybersecurity company can collaborate on developing the policies and procedures you need to protect systems and data from attacks.

Top Healthcare Cybersecurity Companies  

While there are numerous cybersecurity companies in the marketplace, relatively few can meet the requirements of healthcare companies. Here are a few leading companies in that field:

• Cloudticity is a healthcare-focused, cloud-based MSSP that enables healthcare organizations to make the most of public cloud services while streamlining security, compliance, and management. By combining deep cloud and industry-specific expertise with a full array of managed and automated services, we help healthcare organizations prevent data breaches, maintain HIPAA compliance, and accelerate HITRUST certification. 
  Cloudticity partners with major cloud providers—including AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud—as well as the cybersecurity company Crowdstrike, whose Falcon™ platform helps stop breaches.
• CrowdStrike offers an AI-based platform and a range of security capabilities for healthcare organizations, including advanced endpoint protection, managed detection and response, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) protection, and incident response services.
• Palo Alto Networks helps healthcare organizations reduce service interruptions from incidents by offering solutions for network security, cloud security, and security operations.
  
• GE HealthCare builds security into its products while offering consulting and managed monitoring services to help safeguard devices, systems, and data.
  
• Check Point offers an integrated healthcare security solution that provides unified threat prevention across networks, cloud environments, mobile endpoints, and IoT devices.
  
• CyberArk specializes in identity security, helping healthcare organizations prevent attacks, build trust, and maintain compliance with a portfolio of identity security capabilities.
• Imprivata strives to help healthcare organizations reduce risks, enhance privacy, and improve care quality with digital identity solutions.
• Claroty focuses on device and IoT security, enabling organizations to efficiently manage and better protect connected devices through a modular, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)–based platform.
• Trend Micro offers layered solutions that integrate with existing healthcare IT environments. The company’s network defense, hybrid cloud, and user protection solutions for healthcare are a subset of its broader product portfolio.

Emerging Healthcare Cybersecurity Companies

There are also several emerging cybersecurity companies that provide focused solutions that can benefit health organizations looking to implement specific capabilities. For example:

• Auth0 by Okta offers authentication services that can help organizations deliver individualized patient-centered care experiences.
• Forescout uses agentless technology to secure a range of IoT devices, medical devices, and mobile devices.
• Exabeam provides behavioral analytics and threat-hunting capabilities to secure networks, apps, and IoMT devices while helping organizations fulfill regulatory requirements.

Evaluating Healthcare Cybersecurity Companies

After you’ve defined your requirements and gathered a list of cybersecurity companies, how do you evaluate them? First, determine which companies can provide the particular technical capabilities and services you need to strengthen your security posture. 

Focus on companies that have tuned their solutions for healthcare clients or can customize offerings based on healthcare-specific needs. Be sure to identify which companies have actual experience working in the healthcare industry. As your list shrinks, find companies that can help you comply with HIPAA rules and enable you to streamline HITRUST certification.

Pricing and service-level agreements will certainly play a role in your selection. As you analyze costs, be sure to factor in the savings in time and resources that each company might provide compared with taking on greater cybersecurity management functions in house.

Finally, check client references. Learn how cybersecurity companies have helped other healthcare organizations stop damaging attacks, avoid breaches, and sustain compliance. 

Implementing a Healthcare Cybersecurity Program  

Once you’ve selected a cybersecurity company, it’s time to put your cybersecurity program into motion. Work with the company to perform a gap analysis and identify vulnerabilities. You can then start deploying the access control, network monitoring, network segmentation, endpoint protection, and other capabilities that you need.

The cybersecurity company can also help you train your in-house IT and security staff, so you can make the most of new capabilities. Together, the cybersecurity company and your team can develop an incident response plan and test it—before an attack requires you to use it. The company could also help you educate employees on the best practices they should use to reduce risks.

Get Healthcare Cybersecurity Protection Today

As cyber threats continue to evolve and multiply, healthcare organizations must leverage a full array of technologies to bolster their defenses. For example, healthcare organizations could leverage AI for advanced threat detection. At the same time, they could adopt new paradigms for security, such as Zero Trust, which can help safeguard an expanding attack surface with distributed endpoints. 

While your organization implements new solutions and strategies, remember that cybercriminals are similarly adapting their techniques and technologies. To stay ahead of attackers, you might need to increase your focus on medical device security, for example, since attackers are increasingly targeting these endpoints.

Partnering with the right cybersecurity company will be key. With the right company, you can deploy new capabilities and develop a more robust, flexible strategy that can help you defend against shifting threats—all while maintaining compliance.

To learn more download the free eBook, The Nine Biggest Healthcare Cybersecurity Threats and How to Beat Them. Or contact us for a free consultation to learn how we can help you navigate the fast-changing world of cyber threats in healthcare.