I have spoken to thousands of medical practices in my 16 year career and I find a huge misconception out there. Small practices think they are too small for security, IT support and https://www.tier3md.com/hipaa-security-risk-assessments/. NOT TRUE! A small practice has just as much to lose as a large practice. Actually, a large practice may even fare better in the event of an attack because they may have more safeguards in place. A small practice still has the same responsibilities as a large practice, it’s just under rated!
Too Small For Security?
Another misconception is that “hackers will never find us”. We are too small. Not true. Hackers have no idea of the size of your practice. They just know they got you to click on something and they now have personal and patient information that you don’t want them to have. Protecting yourself from these types of attacks is less expensive if you are a small practice. Most vendors charge by the device and a small practice does not have very many devices.
Credentials are credentials. The goal is to get as many as possible. Hacking into a large network you may get 10, 20 or more. Hacking into a small network you may get 2 or 3. What’s the difference? You’re still in trouble! No practice is too small for security. If you have employee data, physician data and patient data, you need to protect it. Protecting your network is actually very simple. It involves a few tools and some training. If you are a small practice, please don’t feel you are too small for security. You are actually just the right size!
Tier3MD is available to help find the right solution for protecting your network. Contact us today for a free network assessment. 770-670-6840.
Sheryl Cherico is the CEO of Tier3MD and Discovery Computers and Forensics. She is also the Healthcare IT Girl.
