The technology used by dental practice has evolved with time. However, you also need to think about cybersecurity due to the increased digital capabilities. The latest technologies can help you in improving your productivity. It can also help you in saving a lot of money and time. You can use these technologies for automating your manual tasks.
Also, you can use the latest practice management software for checking your schedule. It will help you in handling your billing and clinical processes. You can store both your electronic health records and electronic medical records. However, your workflow is vulnerable to hacking attacks and you need to protect your data.
Importance of Cybersecurity for dental practices:
Most dental practitioner still thinks that their anti-virus software or firewall can protect them from attackers. Technology has evolved with time and hackers are using better tools. They are also targeting the healthcare sector as most hospitals don’t have good cybersecurity.
Practices across the world have been targeted by malware attacks and ransomware attacks. These attacks can shut down your entire network.
If you are in the healthcare sector, then your role comes with a lot of responsibility. HIPAA compliance is very strict and it will help you in protecting your patient records. If you experience a data breach, then the Office of Civil rights will investigate it.
They will evaluate your HIPAA compliance first. After that, they will evaluate the IT network protections that they were using. Also, they will check if you were training your employees.
You will also lose the trust of your patients. They are handing their data to you. Thus, it is your duty to protect their data from attackers.
Cybersecurity requires both proactive and vigilance strategies. Companies that have experienced a data breach already know the social and financial impact of it. You can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars due to a data breach. The most valuable thing that you will lose is your patient’s trust. We are going to share some tips that will help you in implementing cybersecurity. You can follow these tips for protecting your dental practice from attackers.
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Check your cybersecurity protocols
You should work with an experienced MSP like Bleuwire. They will help you in performing a security audit. Good MSPs like Bleuwire have access to an entire IT security team. Thus, they can help you in finding weaknesses in your security plan.
They will check your IT landscape. You need to tell them about various things like where you are storing your data and which systems you are using for protecting your data. They will also ask you about the people that can access your data. If your team is using portable devices, then your PHI records can get stolen.
The most common vulnerability is always going to be your employees. Hackers mostly send ransomware and malware by using emails.
For example, they can send a malicious email to your employees. Your employees might download a malicious attachment. Thus, malware can affect your systems and server. You need to then report this hacking incident to the authorities.
An audit will help you in mitigating data breaches. It will help you in finding vulnerabilities in your network. Audits will mainly help you in avoiding human errors. You also need to give proper training to your employees. This will ensure that your employees won’t infect your systems by mistake.
If healthcare organizations are providing cybersecurity training to their employees, then the chances of data breaches will decrease by 50%.
Your MSP will use various tools for performing a security audit. These tools will help them in finding vulnerabilities in your system. They will help you in gathering important information about your entire IT infrastructure.
This data will be provided to your IT team. They can use this data for preventing further breaches. You should regularly test your IT systems. This will help you in upgrading your IT security plan.
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Penetration Testing
Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can also help you in penetration testing. It will help you in testing your IT network. They will use the tools that are used by black-hat hackers. The main aim of this test is to try to break into your IT infrastructure.
This will help you in finding vulnerabilities in your system. They will help you in finding network weaknesses in your IT network. Also, they will report vulnerabilities that can actually affect your systems.
This test will help you in creating a recovery plan. You can deploy this plan in case of a data or security breach. If your IT network is hacked, then you can use this plan for getting your servers back online. It will help you in minimizing downtime.
If you don’t have a recovery plan, then your network will be down for a long time. You might also lose your data. Thus, it is very important to create a recovery plan. A system disruption can affect your entire operation. You need to wait until your data gets restored.
Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire can also provide you with backup services. They will help you in storing your backup in local backup devices. Also, they will perform the cloud backup automatically. This will ensure that you don’t need to manually perform backup.
They will also help you in setting up a cloud server. You can use cloud technology for storing your backup. It will ensure that you can quickly restore your data. You will quickly recover from a data breach. Cloud restoration will also ensure that you can recover from events like floods or fires. Thus, even natural disasters can’t shut down your operations.
Conclusion
Cybersecurity is becoming very important for dental practice. We have tried to answer all the basic questions related to cybersecurity. If you don’t have an in-house IT security team, then you should consider working with an MSP. Experienced MSPs like Bleuwire will help you in protecting your systems from attackers. You don’t need to worry about hiring any security professionals. Also, they will help you in creating a perfect recovery plan. If you need more information regarding IT security services, then you can contact Bleuwire.
Contact us today to learn about Bleuwire™ services and solutions in how we can help your business.
