Top 5 Benefits of ARCON My Vault in Healthcare Industry 

Increasing Data in Healthcare Industry 

The healthcare industry is experiencing a significant surge in data, driven by several factors. Adoption of disparate digital technologies by the healthcare organizations such as telemedicine, telehealth, wearable devices, smart monitors, connected ER solutions and above all EHRs (Electronic Health Records) force them to draw their attention towards data security, data privacy and data governance. 

Scenarios of data surge in the healthcare sector majorly revolves around: 

• Big Data Revolution: Over the last decade, pharmaceutical companies have aggregated years of research and development data into medical databases. Simultaneously, payors and providers have digitized patient records. 

• Fiscal Concerns and Incentives: It is driving the demand for big-data applications. For example – healthcare expenses now represent 17.6% of GDP in the United States—$600 billion more than the expected benchmark for a nation of its size and wealth. 

• Clinical Data: Medical Practitioners are increasingly adopting evidence-based medicine, digital consultation and systematically reviewing clinical data to make treatment decisions based on the best available information. 

Reasons behind Proliferation of Digital Data in Healthcare Industry 

The volume of digital data in the healthcare industry is increasing due to several key factors: 

• Electronic Medical Records (EMRs): The widespread adoption of EMRs has led to a significant increase in the amount of digital data generated and stored by healthcare staff. 

• Advanced Medical Imaging: Modern imaging technologies, such as MRI and CT scans, produce large volumes of data. Each patient can generate substantial amounts of imaging data annually. 

• Telemedicine and Remote Monitoring: The rise of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, especially accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has contributed to the growth of digital health data. 

• Wearable Devices and Health Apps: The increasing use of wearable devices and health apps that track various health metrics (e.g., heart rate, physical activity) adds to the data volume. 

• Government Initiatives: Many governments are promoting digital health initiatives to improve healthcare delivery and patient outcomes, further driving the increase in digital data. 

These factors collectively contribute to the exponential growth of digital data in the healthcare sector. 

Cybersecurity Treats due to Data Surge 

Continuous evolution of cybersecurity in the healthcare industry is a burning topic, especially as digital technologies become increasingly integrated into patient care and well-being. Let us delve into the type of threats faced by healthcare organizations: 

1) Data Breaches: Healthcare providers are increasingly vulnerable to potentially catastrophic ransomware attacks and data breaches. Cybercriminals exploit weaknesses in healthcare systems, demanding payment in exchange for decryption keys to unlock critical files and restore access to vital systems (Ransomware). Hospitals, medical centers, and clinical labs are attractive targets due to the pressure they face to quickly restore critical systems required for patient care. 

2) Protected Health Information (PHI) Theft: The theft of valuable protected health information (PHI) is a growing concern. Cybercriminals exploit patient data for identity theft, accessing expensive healthcare services or filing fraudulent tax returns. Patient care repercussions from cyberattacks can lead to delays in procedures, longer hospital stays, and even increased mortality rates in severe cases. 

3) Challenges Faced by Healthcare Providers: Many healthcare organizations lack sophisticated cybersecurity defenses to address today’s threat landscape. Limited budgets and inadequate resources often leave gaps in their cybersecurity posture. Even outdated IT systems, weak vulnerability management, and patch processes contribute to security flaws that cybercriminals exploit. 

4) Third-Party Risk Management: Not all healthcare providers prioritize and invest enough resources in third-party risk management programs. Cybercriminals can exploit vulnerabilities in commonly used third-party tools, gaining backdoor access to critical systems within the healthcare environment. 

5) Inadequate Preparation for the Future: Organizations must pay closer attention to data privacy, modernize data protection standards, and establish better awareness, detection, and response capabilities for cybersecurity threats. The future of health care involves radically interoperable data, always-on sensors, and prospective and predictive care. 

How does ARCON play a pivotal role in managing healthcare data? 

In a continuously evolving IT landscape in the healthcare sector, managing and storing enterprise data is a challenge for IT administrators. ARCON offers “My Vault” solution that works as a centralized repository to protect, store and share confidential and sensitive health information securely. It allows every user to securely store, access and share critical medical history and patients’ personal information. The source files where this information is stored remain encrypted and can be deleted easily after a preset time. It also controls the end-users’ activities in the health organization based on the pre-configured permissions even at a granular level. 

• ARCON | My Vault helps data management staff with the ability to store healthcare secrets, case histories, confidential files, credentials for accessing medical repositories etc. in a highly secured vault. It also provides administrative users managing servers with the ability to transfer files from one machine to another without having to go through the interactive access in Privileged Access Management. 

• ARCON| My Vault can be deployed as a discrete solution because it can provide role-based access for sharing, downloading, viewing, or transferring files and secrets. My Vault also provides a simple centralized store for large files (including software, patches, etc.) 

• ARCON | My Vault ensures a centralized access framework that helps healthcare staff to share and access critical files uninterruptedly and securely. To ensure the security of the information a step ahead, these files are accessed only by the My Vault users. 

• All the files that are secretly stored in My Vault are accessible only after double authentication of the users with elevated access rights. Not just that, every monitoring of the end-users and authentication mechanisms happens at a granular level. 

• All the uploaded files are deleted automatically after the pre-designated time. As a result, the files remain safe from being accessed by irrelevant or unauthorized users. 

Conclusion 

ARCON | My Vault has turned out to be an essential information security solution in modern healthcare industry use cases. It offers a centralized repository to protect, store and share confidential medical information and clinical secrets.