- Legacy Hardware Threatens HIT Infrastructure Security
- Healthcare Cloud Security Relies on Infrastructure Visibility
From a healthcare security standpoint, IAM options and the potential benefits they provide are ideal. IAM can ensure that a facility has a role-based access framework, and that the proper access is provided to the proper individuals.
The Research and Markets report suggested that the IAM cloud deployments would be the most popular way for organizations to deploy their IAM solutions.
“Cloud is changing the way a business operates,” said the report. “It facilitates a different level of cost-benefit, flexibility, and efficiency to carry out business functions. Moreover, it also provides organization an opportunity to transform their business models and gain a competitive edge over their competitors. Managing identities and accessing control for enterprise applications act as one of the prominent challenges faced by IT.”
Organizations are operating in multicloud environments for the most part which makes bringing IAM solutions into the cloud an ideal way to deploy them. This makes the IAM solutions more flexible, and makes it easier to integrate with other cloud-based tools.
IAM solutions need to restrict access to electronic health records (EHRs) without compromising patient care. A solution with too many restrictions can deny valid user access causing delays to patient care, while IAM solutions that are too lax can compromise private patient access.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) considers identity proofing and authentication as the first line of security defense but claims that it also has the potential to be the weakest link in organizational security. Identity authentication controls user access to protected health information (PHI), and if identity authentication should fail, other infrastructure security measures may not have the ability to fully protect the network.
“All manner of access stems from the application of a user’s credentials,” the Identity and Access Management for Health Information Exchange guide explains. “If identity proofing and authentication are not implemented effectively, there is a negative downstream effect as exchange organizations and providers make numerous decisions based on identity within several security controls including access, encryption, auditing, and non-repudiation (digital signatures and authentication). As electronic health information exchange between different organizations and providers grows, it is essential to focus on these key building blocks of security and how trust with respect to identity controls can be improved.”
The guide also emphasizes HIPAA compliance and its relevance to IAM solutions. While HIPAA does not outline specific framework or standard IAM implementation guidelines, it requires covered entities to:
- Conduct an accurate and thorough assessment of the potential risks and vulnerabilities to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of electronic PHI held by the covered entity or business associate.
- Implement security measures sufficient to reduce risks and vulnerabilities to a reasonable and appropriate level.
Healthcare organizations are building security networks that will protect new IT infrastructure tools and their many connections. Introducing a cloud-based IAM solution can help organizations gain visibility and control over their network.
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