Running a practice means you wear a variety of hats during the day. While you may stick with the medical mindset most of the time, there are days when your business hat must be worn. Those are the days where you make decisions on things like office management, productivity, and security.
As you make those decisions, your influences come from everywhere. You listen to experts. You consult regulatory guidance. You make decisions based on your gut.
But what about your patients and prospects? Are you giving them what they want?
They may come to you with a specific goal in mind: They have questions about wellness and health care, and that’s their first priority.
Yet before they even approach you, as they are dealing with the paperwork, they have other thoughts pop up. And a lot of them revolve around cybersecurity.
The Consumer Intelligence Series: Protect.me report by PWC took an in-depth look at what consumers are concerned about with cybersecurity and privacy risks. Their findings may surprise you.
- 69 percent of consumers believe companies are vulnerable to hacks and cyberattacks
- 10 percent of consumers feel they have complete control over their personal information
- 25 percent of consumers believe most companies handle their sensitive personal data responsibly
Think about that for a moment. That means a whopping 90 percent of consumers feel the handling of their personal information is out of their control and at risk. Seventy-five percent of respondents believe their sensitive personal data isn’t handled in the safest way possible.
So that becomes an underlying fear in everything we do.
Does that make you want to try harder in protecting your practice’s data?
The biggest threat in all circumstances is humans; they are the weakest link. It’s up to each of us to ensure we take precautions against external threats. By being more aware as a business owner, you can also teach those on your staff more about protecting themselves as consumers. And that stretches far beyond the office.
The biggest weaknesses exist with:
This is because we link our email to almost every account we open. If an email address is breached, it can be used to infiltrate a variety of sites. And because of password weaknesses, it gives hackers an even easier time to break into sites all across the web.
IoT
The Internet of Things (IoT) marketplace is growing by leaps and bounds. As we continue to bring in more personal devices connected to the internet, our chance of risk also increases. Take the time to become aware of exactly what you’re bringing into your home or office. Implementing a unique ID and password for each device means it reduces the threat of someone breaching the system.
Wi-Fi
Wireless internet means you can work from anywhere. But there is a difference between your own personal network and the one you find at your favorite coffee shop. Even when you think it’s private, are you aware of how many other devices are attached to it? Are you sure they are all secure? Every broken link in the system opens you up to potential risk.
While it might not be something to worry about 24/7, it is something to be aware of before you open up your most sensitive accounts. Cybersecurity is something we should all take seriously and continually work to be trained. Working together is what will keep us safe over time.
For IT Strategy, Cloud Conversion, or Help Desk Services reach out to us at Silver Linings Technology 360-450-4759.
