Nclose says to secure medical devices, healthcare organisations need to consider other controls besides installing endpoint security software.
“Another possible solution is using specialised software and solutions that are designed for the medical industry. However, these solutions are not widely adopted in South Africa or in the rest of the world,” Potgieter adds. Potgieter explains that these devices are often used to connect to a hospital’s network, which can be a concern. “Doctors often have their own equipment, such as laptops or tablets, that they use to access patient records or other information. Yet, they may not want to install any endpoint security software or follow any security policies imposed by the hospital.”
Potgieter continues: “The nature in which hospitals work is that there is the hospital group and then there is a doctor that has a practice in the hospital, and they have their own equipment, but they need to connect to the hospital network, and the doctors are relatively protective or controlling – like ‘you are not going to put anything on my device, this is my device’.”