DSX Access control systems & kits

From small-town dental offices to major hospitals, healthcare facilities of all kinds need to be safe, secure, and protected. Security guards are often needed in emergency departments, quality doors and windows need to be installed to prevent unwanted entry or escape, and employees need to handle every situation with care to avoid malpractice claims. These aspects are crucial for a medical facility's success, however, there is another major factor that needs to remain top of mind: cybersecurity. Importance of cybersecurity in healthcare  According to a Healthcare Industry Cybersecurity Report by SecurityScorecard, over 75% of the entire healthcare industry has been infected with some kind of malware over the last year. The study examined 700 healthcare organisations including health insurance agencies, healthcare manufacturing companies, and medical treatment facilities. The report revealed that the healthcare sector is lacking basic cybersecurity awareness - putting the entire medical infrastructure at risk. The healthcare sector relies much more on technology than ever before. Devices that are connected to the internet are crucial for not only employee convenience but patient's wellbeing and safety, as well. From patient data and lab results to radiology equipment /and hospital elevators - everything needs to be functioning properly in order to ensure maximum efficiency across each facility. Sadly, those technologies are often vulnerable to cyberattacks, which can lead to hacked patient data, hijacked drug infusion devices, cryptocurrency scams, and even shut down an entire facility. Over 75% of the entire healthcare industry has been infected with some kind of malware over the last year Hospitals try to improve security, but in practice, these measures can get bypassed by clinicians, and then they're not as effective" "Hospitals try to improve security, but in practice, these measures can get bypassed by clinicians, and then they're not as effective," said Sung Choi, assistant professor at the University of Central Florida's department of health management and informatics. "Security adds inconvenience by design. The next step is figuring out how to improve it without the inconvenience." Healthcare cybersecurity facts Here are some interesting facts pertaining to cybersecurity within the healthcare sector: 63% of the 27 largest U.S. hospitals have a C or lower in Patching Cadence, which measures a facility's ability to implement security software patches in a timely fashion. Over 50% of the healthcare industry has a Network Security score of a C or lower. 96% of all ransomware targeted medical treatment centers. According to CynergisTek's survey of 60 C-level healthcare executives: 40% of respondents stated that third-party risks are the most concerning cyber threat. CynergisTek's survey: 33% of respondents reported that medical device security is one of the top five risks facing the healthcare sector. CynergisTek's survey: 54% of respondents said the biggest barrier to meeting security challenges was due to lack of adequate resources. In 2017, the healthcare industry saw an average of almost 32,000 cyberattacks per day. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association: healthcare delivery organisations (HDOs) were the fastest growing targeted group, accounting for over 70% of the 2,149 breaches tracked. The global healthcare Internet of Things (IoT) market is expected to grow with a 12.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) to $136 billion by 2021. 95% of all cybersecurity breaches are caused by human error. Thankfully, there are plenty of things that healthcare executives can do to fight back against digital threats "It is safe to say that costs to healthcare organisations will continue to rise as one of the fastest-growing threats, ran ransomware, successfully wreaks havoc in the industry," said authors of a recent IBM X-Force Research report.  Steps to enhance cybersecurity Thankfully, there are plenty of things that healthcare executives can do to fight back against these digital threats. Here are some of the best security practices for healthcare facilities in 2019: 1. Risk assessment First, an organisation needs to evaluate any and all risks associated with the entire operation. From digital security to equipment theft, here are some of the most common risks to consider: Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDOS) attacks (attempting to crash servers). Viruses, malware, and ransomware threats by unintentional internet use. Active attempts to infiltrate network security.- Deliberate theft or corruption by employees. Data loss through software issues or hardware failures. Accidental unauthorised viewing of confidential data. A healthcare center needs to have all of its security and privacy policies documented, printed out, and visible 2. Continuous education and training Healthcare employees are critical to a facility's success. Investing in their education and training will surely pay off in the long run. Regular training will help them not only perform better but give them the ability to handle issues competently when something goes wrong. Investing in healthcare employees education and training will pay off in the long run 3. Document everything A healthcare center needs to have all of its security and privacy policies documented, printed out, and visible. Doing this will ensure compliance with legislation and will serve as a reference point for the entire staff throughout the training process. 4. Assign a security specialist No matter how large your medical operation is, it's always a good idea to designate a specific individual (or team) to handle your in-house and digital security. Since tech security is so complex, your specialist will likely need to research the government's compliance information to ensure that every staff member follows the guidelines. 5. Develop a back-up plan No matter how well prepared you are, something will always go wrong From the moment people started using computers, backing up data has been a crucial step. No matter how well prepared you are, something will always go wrong. Every practice needs to develop - and document - a detailed back-up plan to avoid serious issues. Not only that, but it's just as important to develop a comprehensive procedure for restoring back-ups after an issue has occurred. 6. Handle the basics Many of these might seem obvious, but they are extremely important and often forgotten. Here are some general and everyday practices that should be performed: Updating and strengthening user passwords. Using security logs to monitor suspicious network activity and login attempts. Preventing unauthorised software installations. Removing unnecessary browser plugins and software. Restricting access to social media, chat, and dubious websites. Disabling or removing unnecessary accounts (ex-employees). Restricting access to physical ports on company machines. "If executive leadership truly understood the business risks posed by inadequate cybersecurity and realised the major operational, financial, and patient safety implications a security incident can have, they would ensure any and all resources needed were available," added David Finn, Executive Vice President of Strategic Innovation at CynergisTek. "We need to make sure we are effectively communicating these issues to executive leadership, so they make cybersecurity a business priority."

Should ‘Made in China’ be seen as a negative in security systems and products? It’s an important and complex issue that merits a more detailed response than my recent comment in the Expert Panel Roundtable. For me, there are two sides of the answer to this question: Buying products that have certain negative attributes that are not in alignment with some part of a belief system or company mandate. Buying products that do not perform as advertised or do something that is unacceptable. For integrators and end users making the buying decisions, the drive to purchase products may not be based on either aspect and instead on the product that can do the best job for their business. But for others, a greater emphasis on the ethical implications of purchasing decisions drives decision-making. What is ethical consumption? Ethical consumption is a type of consumer activism that is based on the concept of ‘positive buying’ in that ethical products are favouredEthical consumption — often called ethical consumerism — is a type of consumer activism that is based on the concept of ‘positive buying’ in that ethical products are favoured, and products that are ethically questionable may be met with a ‘moral boycott’. This can be as simple as only buying organic produce or as complex as boycotting products made in a totalitarian regime that doesn't offer its citizens the same freedoms that we enjoy in the United States. Consider the goals of the Boston Tea Party or the National Consumers League (NCL), which was formed to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. Some examples of considerations behind ethical consumption include fair trade, treatment of workers, genetic modification, locally made and processed goods, union-made products and services, humane animal treatment, and in general, labour issues and manufacturing practices that take these factors into account. Increase in ethical consumption The numbers show that ethical consumption is on the rise. In a 2017 study by Unilever, 33 percent of consumers reported choosing to buy and support brands that they believe are doing social or environmental good. In the same study, 53 percent of shoppers in the United Kingdom and 78 percent in the United States said they feel better when they buy products that are ‘sustainably’ produced. There’s clear evidence that products from some Chinese companies suffer from cybersecurity vulnerabilities Though the aforementioned question that sparked this conversation centres around concerns with products made in China, there are many other countries where, for example, governments/dictators are extremely repressive to all or parts of their populations, whose products, such as oil, diamonds, minerals, etc., we happily consume. There are also a number of countries that are a threat in terms of cybersecurity. It may be naive and simplistic to single out Chinese manufacturers. Impact on physical security products Product buying decisions based on factors other than product functionality, quality and price are also starting to permeate the security marketplace. While this hasn't been a large focus area from the business-to-business consumption side, it's something that should be considered for commercial security products for a variety of reasons. Hardware hacks are more difficult to pull off and potentially more devastating" There’s clear evidence that products from some Chinese companies suffer from cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Last fall, 30 U.S. companies, including Apple and Amazon, were potentially compromised when it was discovered that a tiny microchip in the motherboard of servers built in China that weren't a part of the original specification. According to a Bloomberg report, “This attack was something graver than the software-based incidents the world has grown accustomed to seeing. Hardware hacks are more difficult to pull off and potentially more devastating, promising the kind of long-term, stealth access that spy agencies are willing to invest millions of dollars and many years to get.” This, along with many other incidents, are changing the considerations behind purchasing decisions even in the physical security industry. Given that physical security products in general have been lax on cybersecurity, this is a welcome change. Combating tech-specific threats In early January, members of the U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation to help combat tech-specific threats to national security posed by foreign actors and ensure U.S. technological supremacy by improving interagency coordination across the U.S. government. The bill creates the Office of Critical Technologies & Security at the White House, an indication that this issue is of critical importance to a number of players across the tech sector. Members of the U.S. Senate introduced bipartisan legislation to help combat tech-specific threats to national security posed by foreign actors To address a significant number of concerns around ethical production, there are certifications such as ISO 26000 which provides guidance on social responsibility by addressing accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholder interests, respect for rule of law, respect for international norms of behaviour and respect for human rights. While still emerging within physical security, companies that adhere to these and other standards do exist in the marketplace. Not buying products vulnerable to cyberattacks It may be counter-productive, even irresponsible, to brand all products from an entire country as unfit for purchasing. Some manufacturers’ products may be ethically questionable, or more vulnerable to cyberattacks than others; so not buying products made by those companies would make sense. The physical security industry might be playing a bit of catch up on this front, but I think we're beginning to see a shift toward this kind of responsible buying behaviour.

Users of security systems have long been willing to sacrifice certain aspects of security in favour of convenience and ease of use. The tide seems to be turning, however, with the industry at large showing significant concerns over cyber security. End user sentiments also seem to be following that trend, becoming more cautious when it comes to having their security systems connected to the internet. While it has become the norm for security systems to be accessible online, still it presents security threats that unconnected systems would not face. In 2018, we saw a notable shift from the convenience of a connected system to the less convenient, but more secure, standalone system. Consumers are willingly making the choice to trade convenience for security, and companies are responding. While cyber security concerns will continue to be a big topic of discussion, connected platforms will probably be the trend of 2019This in turn is driving an increase in more IoT-like deployments. Rather than the traditional client that is connected to a device to retrieve information, more often we are seeing more active devices, capable of reporting their presence and transmitting information on a scheduled basis, without the need for a client. Preventing security systems from outside threats This changes the dynamic of the network and alleviates many threats associated with traditional systems because there is no opportunity for outside threats to access your system since the device is transmitting information out vs requiring a connection to the outside world. With IoT deployments, when the device is active and sending messages out of the network segment, it is not vulnerable in the same way that the traditional systems are. While cyber security concerns will continue to be a big topic of discussion, connected platforms will probably be the trend of 2019. In 2018, we saw an increased acceptance in the residential market for smart home applications. While this has been an area of discussion for the past ten years, it is now gaining real traction. With artificial intelligent capabilities in tow, smart home deployments are more common than ever and the video analytics that accompany them are quite impressive. Cloud security for the commercial sector If consumers are trusting their home security systems with this, it only makes sense that they will begin trusting Google to provide security for their offices as wellIn addition to the residential market, connected platforms will likely start to impact the commercial space as well. The border between consumer and commercial user will become a little more blurred. Companies such as Google that cater primarily to home services have cloud capabilities beyond the means of many competitors, in turn giving them a favourable advantage to provide security for the cloud. If consumers are trusting their home security systems with this, it only makes sense that they will begin trusting Google to provide security for their offices as well. As far as ONVIF is concerned, we are excited to see how the market will adopt the newly released Profile T for advanced video streaming in the coming year. We are also excited to explore our relationship with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), by continuing our work on giving devices the ability to communicate upwards and proactively. It is clear that the market is open to adopting models in the quest for more efficiency without sacrificing security.