IBM exec on the ins and outs of securing internet of things devices in healthcare

The Internet of Things is a phenomenon with which healthcare CIOs, and just about everybody else, are by now quite familiar. Smartphones can control the lights in homes and manage security systems, for example. In healthcare, implanted medical devices can communicate with providers via the web.

But there's still a big learning curve ahead for IoT, especially with regard to security.

“Since data is the coin of the realm in healthcare, this phenomenon has been embraced by makers of medical equipment and has spurred innovation in a great many cases,” said Matthew Broomhall, CTO  of technology support services for healthcare at IBM. “If you contrast this to information technology as we understand it today, IT has had years to implement programs to protect IT assets and data.”

But while that has matured, the management and protection of the Internet of Medical Things is not yet at the same maturity level, he said. CIOs and CISOs now must accelerate programs to insure their medical devices are protected and therefore the data these devices generate and exchange.

The full Healthcare IT News article can be viewed at this link.