Last week, both Los Angeles County and the medical billing company Sutherland Healthcare Solutions were absolved of any wrongdoing in a February 2014 security breach where thieves absconded with hard drives during a late-night heist.
This week, The Globe and Mail reports that studies are showing a spike in cybersecurity-related crimes where criminals needn't physically enter a building to steal such vital data from healthcare companies.
They offer five important tips that can help prepare you in case such a harmful event befalls your business.
1. Proactively prepare for a breach
"Try to keep on top of industry trends in order to choose the best security solutions for the company. Keep an eye on third party providers and make sure their websites are secure: a breach on their end can compromise your own customers."
2. Train for the aftermath
"Make sure employees are aware of the threats out there and ensure everyone has basic security training."
3. Screen employees
"Small business owners tend to trust the people that work for them, but many breaches are a direct result of authorized employees abusing their access within systems."
4. Back up critical data offline
"Ransomware can lock a business out of its own computer system. Having an offline backup will eliminate the need to pay hackers in order to retrieve company data."
5. Invest in a risk assessment diagnostic
"If external risk assessment is financially feasible, it is worth the money to avoid spending unnecessarily on the wrong software."
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