In the healthcare industry, change is the only constant. With the ever-evolving landscape of technology and IT, it has become increasingly difficult for healthcare organisations to meet the expectations of data security and privacy. Healthcare providers handle the most valuable data on the dark web, and that is protected health information. On top of that, healthcare providers have to find ways to reduce expenditure and improve patient care. In order for healthcare companies to succeed and be able to anticipate changes in the future, it is necessary for them to incorporate a modern identity and access management(IAM) system.

IAM serves as the foundation of any healthcare companies’ security infrastructure. With the presence of a robust IAM, companies can prevent protected health information and other valuable and confidential data from being leaked by employees within the organisation or from being illegally accessed by external parties. The adoption of an IAM system also helps to cut down on help desk calls and enhance the efficiency of administrative work processes, which will lead to a reduction in costs. As a result, healthcare providers can better focus their energy and money on delivering the best user experience to customers as well as developing large scale security initiatives.

Some may wonder how does IAM achieve this? Single sign on (SSO) capabilities offered by any modern IAM solution enables user experience to be swift and seamless, without compromising security. Clinicians currently have to log into multiple workstations, applications and systems, and possibly across different locations within the hospital or organisation. Each login session is different, which is problematic, as it gives rise to security being at risk and vulnerable to hacking. With a trustworthy SSO solution in practice, clinicians and other healthcare professionals will be able to have their sessions follow them regardless of shift time or location. By having only one set of login credentials, healthcare workers can focus more on convenient access to patient data and providing patient care, without having their productivity impeded by technological barriers and time consuming processes.

For new clinicians and hospital staff members, IT and security professionals often grant access and role privileges manually. This consumes time and effort which can be better channelled into more pressing concerns such as patient care. Through a modern IAM solution, the provisioning and deprovisioning of accounts for those who have just joined the healthcare organisation and for those who have left will no longer be manual and tedious, but efficient and automated. Moreover, IAM minimises the potential for human error, which would otherwise create opportunities for breaches in security, the exposing of personal health information, as well as, the possibilities of slowdowns and ineffiencies to clinical workflow.

In recent times, it is also not a surprise to see more and more healthcare providers migrating towards the cloud and calling upon cloud based technologies and services. With the implementation of a robust IAM system, healthcare companies have enjoy better peace of mind with regards to cloud security. Furthermore, IAM ensures healthcare companies meet regulatory compliance.