I often post about security assessments. Not because we provide them, but because you need them! Some practices feel that since they are not applying for Meaningful Use money that security assessments are a waste of time. I can’t tell you how wrong that is. Think of it like this…if given the opportunity, wouldn’t you love for someone to go over your vehicle and check everything out prior to your road trip? Of course you would! Just the thought of being stuck on a highway somewhere in no man’s land makes you worry, as it should! In order to avoid this horrible scenario, you take your car to the nearest garage, and they check your oil, check your engine, brake, transmission and power steering fluids, windshield wipers, etc and they help you identify any potential trouble you may run into. Wouldn’t that be fantastic? You bet it would!
Now let’s look at your network. Why wouldn’t you want someone to come in and assess the most critical portion of your practice? Check your antivirus, disk space, user logins, behavior patterns, network vulnerability issues, etc. The network down for an extended period of time is just as bad as being stuck on the highway. The reality is…it may have been avoided. I’m not saying that security assessments guarantee that you won’t get hit by a virus or ransomware, but I am saying that it certainly helps. Why not find out where your network is exposed? I don’t want you to think that security assessments will cost you money. DOWNTIME is what will cost you money.
Years ago, security assessments weren’t on the radar like they are today. People cared about their networks, but with paper charts, if the network went down, you could still see patients. Fast forward to today, and take a minute to what your practice would look like if it went down for one hour…two hours…three hours, etc. I don’t think it would look very good.
Don’t be afraid of what security assessments will find. Be afraid of what you DON’T find!
