How Cloud-Native Platforms Drive Data Security in Healthcare

The healthcare industry is at a much higher risk of data attacks than other industries – largely due to the type of data it collects. To a data criminal, a patient record – including a patient’s name, date of birth, address, social security number, and payment account information – is a gold mine. In fact, according to Forbes, a medical record can be worth as much as $1,000 on the dark web, whereas a credit card number is worth $5 and Social Security numbers are worth $1.

So where do Cloud-native platforms come in and help combat this issue?

In this blog, we’re going to talk about how Cloud-native platforms drive data security in the healthcare industry – explaining why it matters and breaking down what makes Cloud-native platforms so secure.

The importance of cybersecurity and data security in healthcare

It goes without saying that healthcare data privacy can be critical. Healthcare data is sensitive data that is used to gather valuable insights that inform patient care, hospital best practices and healthcare professional experience. The consequences of a data breach can be severe and sufficient data protection is paramount.

In 2022 IBM reported that the healthcare industry takes the biggest financial hit from data breaches of any industry, with the highest average cost of a data breach (over $10 million – a new record high) for the 12th year in a row. This is a staggering 41.6% increase since the 2020 report.

The ramifications of a data breach of this size are considerable and enduring, impacting every aspect of an organization – from hospital operations to patient trust. Research from CISA even found a direct correlation between cyberattacks and mortality following a breach. What’s more, hospitals that experienced a cyber event were more likely to experience IT network failure that impacts:

• The ability to access electronic health records and diagnostic technology
• Ambulance diversion that can cause a delay in treatment and lower quality of care
• Hospital strain measured by ICU bed utilization, which then contributes to worse health outcomes

To make matters worse, cyber criminals are enjoying technological advancements that are making cyberattacks easier to perform! So, guaranteed protection is impossible, but ensuring your healthcare cybersecurity measures and culture is up to date, and choosing your data tools wisely, can all contribute to improved security.

Why use Cloud-native platforms in healthcare?

There are four key reasons why Cloud-native platforms are well suited for use in healthcare. With their speed, scalability and security, Cloud-native platforms:

• Can drive faster, more accurate diagnoses. Automatic, complete data uploads mean that healthcare professionals can gather insights and report findings faster, with all the information at their fingertips.
• Enable secure and easy access to medical data, regardless of location. Whether they’re at a satellite clinic or in an outpatient environment, users can securely and seamlessly review and access medical data with a system that continuously authenticates user identity and controls access.
• Grow and evolve with ease. Upgrading Cloud-native systems is less complex and less expensive than traditional systems, so clinicians have access to modern, innovative, capabilities as soon as possible.
• Promote a patient-centric experience. Gone are the days of patient data requests, CD burning, and slow and expensive delivery via post. With Cloud-native tools, patients can access their medical data through a web app – giving them control and transparency.

What makes Cloud-native platforms secure?

The Cloud is one major innovation that has enabled companies to scale and adapt at speed, accelerate innovation, drive business agility, streamline operations, and reduce costs. But Cloud data storage and analytics provides another huge benefit to healthcare organizations – data security. And Cloud-native applications – built purposefully for deployment and operation in a Cloud environment – springboard off these benefits.

It is broadly understood that Cloud systems are generally much more secure than traditional data centers, but let’s break down some of the main reasons why:

• Cloud architecture follows a well-understood blueprint. Public Clouds are a much more recent innovation than complex terrestrial networks, and Cloud providers generally use the same (common) blueprint and built-in security capabilities throughout their products. Like a home with more secure (and fewer) entrances, this means attackers have a reduced attack footprint and fewer vulnerabilities to target.
• Patching and security management are consistent. Security administration and patching are much more difficult in traditional networks, whereas the Cloud has centralized mechanisms for patching and security administration built-in.
• Compute services in Cloud-native applications are designed to have short lifespans. This is one of many attributes that makes Cloud-native applications inherently more secure because attackers are unable to easily achieve long-term presence in the system.
• Cloud-native platforms require less manual data movement. Collaboration with local systems requires the constant loading, uploading, sending and receiving of data. Each time data is moved, it is vulnerable to attack or loss – and local storage means data cannot be deleted remotely if need be.

These security benefits are invaluable and ultimately lead to better insights and improved patient outcomes. If you want to find out more about drivers of faster insight in healthcare, read this blog.

Astrato: The Cloud-native BI solution for your healthcare organization

Modern Cloud-native BI solutions like Astrato can drive data security in your organization, improving processes and maximizing efficiencies while keeping your data safe. Features like live commentary, the ability to writeback and collaborate natively (in the same app), and a 360-degree view of your analytics gives Astrato that edge. Plus, our solution is built for every one of your team members to use – even those with no prior coding experience. Find out more in our Help Center.

Getting started with Astrato is easy

Astrato also offers a simple and transparent pricing structure that scales with your business, and our team of friendly product experts are on hand to guide you through the process of building your ideal BI solution – supporting you from setup, throughout your product journey.

Book a demo with us today to find out more.