How to Build a Secure MDM Solution for Healthcare?

The introduction of smartphones has brought a huge transformation in the industries working around us. If we talk about the healthcare sector, though this transformation is a bit slower but prominent and is now slowly pacing up. As per a recent survey by HIMS, almost 70 percent of clinicians now use a mobile device to view patient information, and 36 percent use one to collect bedside data. It helps in communicating with other team members and to retrieve the necessary data related to patients, which leads to saving lives. MDM solution has made it easier to take care of the patients whenever and wherever it is required. 

Mobile devices have enhanced the communication between the doctors and patients, thus helped in improving diagnostic accuracy. Previous when healthcare was dependent on stationary objects like paper, files, and folders, there was a high risk involved regarding the data getting misplaced. Mobile technology has made the complexity clear by providing a continuous data flow option in between the service provider and patients. This has saved a lot of time for the physicians as they do not have to spend their time in data entry and other administrative tasks. Having patient’s information at fingertips helps doctors to save time and ensure better patient care. Due to these smartphones EHRs, clinical decision support systems (CDSS), and picture archiving communication systems (PACS) are always available at the point of care.

The selection of efficient enterprise mobility management solution is equally important as this combination of mobile technology and sensitive data is troubling for security experts, especially where “bring your own device” (BYOD) policies are involved. According to a leading report, around 35% of healthcare organizations suffered a data loss due to a security incident with a mobile device. Hence, it is important for the hospital IT team to ensure efficient device management. 

Mobile Device Management (MDM) System

The inherent risks of a “bring your device” (BYOD) policy have given rise to the mobile device management (MDM) system, which is majorly used to enjoy the versatility and efficiency of mobile devices without putting the data at risk. MDM software allows IT to control and secure mobile devices and keeps your business data protected. According to Novell, a laptop or tablet is stolen every 53 seconds, and 113 cell phones are lost or stolen every minute. 

MDM can remotely lock or wipe the data in case of mobile devices being stolen or lost. The healthcare sector is a desirable sector for hackers as it contains the most sensitive patient data. More than 41 million health records were stolen or leaked during 2019. Hence, it is also recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services in their HHS Policy for Mobile Devices and Removable Media to implement an MDM solution.

Also Read: Key Healthcare Areas where Smart IT Solutions can Make a Difference

Best Practices for Building an MDM solution for healthcare

There are few practices which most people follow must follow to build an effective MDM healthcare solution. 

Multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication ensures that you know everything about the person who has logged in your system by providing an access control tool that uses a combination of two out of three factors to authenticate a user. This makes hackers harder to get into customer accounts with a password alone. You can seek help from professional IT service providers as they can create a solution that is perfect for your needs.

Device identification

Device identification helps ensure the device has not been modified and allow you to track individual devices, firmware version, operating system, and patch level. 

Blocking of unnecessary connections

Open ports may lead hackers to exploit the devices. Hence ensure the Bluetooth, infrared ports, GPS, and microphones are turned off, if not in use. Be careful while connecting your device to another via Bluetooth or screen sharing and forbid connecting to untrusted devices.

Internal application storage

The access to delete, edit, or add new data to the apps should be given to the authorized administrators only. There should be a single trusted resource where employees can access these apps, and this is how you can safely handle your internal apps.

Local encryption

Local encryption offers an additional layer of protection, and even if a hacker uses an advanced method to bypass your password, he or she cannot access the locally encrypted files. You can ask your enterprise mobility service provider for the type of encryption you want for your device. 

Containerization

Containerization helps in running applications in isolated user space. An effective MDM solution must remotely sanitize this container without impacting the personal information.

Also Read: 2020 Advancements: How the Internet of Things Is Fostering Healthcare Sector?

Data transfer limits

This restricts the downloading of data from untrusted servers. This limitation helps in preventing employees to accidentally open ransomware files to the wrong person.

Data sanitization

An MDM solution should equip with tools that allow removing or destroying the data so that when a company needs to dispose of the data, it will be automatically done.

Remote device management

An MDM solution should be effective to control the devices inside and outside of a corporate network. As the key reason for mobile devices in any corporate is mobility.

Data backup

An MDM solution should be effective enough to automatically backup the data. As per the organization’s cyber policy, the data should be backed up. You can opt for any cloud computing solutions to keep your data stored safely. 

Software update management 

It is important to keep the software up-to-date by applying all patches for data protection. An MDM solution should allow you to control the device centrally and audit updates as per the system policy.

Support for multiple platforms

An MDM solution should support all the platforms as the BYOD policy allows the employees to use any device while at the workplace.

Conclusion

The healthcare sector has experienced a lot of transformations in the recent times. With digitization, entrepreneurs also moved to smart healthcare software development solutions and mobile device management solutions are just one of them. MDM solution has not only enhanced the patient experience but has also reduced the stress of doctors and nurses by enhancing the overall quality and speed of medical services. It helps keep the data breach at bay and has increased user productivity and cost reduction. 

The rising trend in the adoption of enterprise mobility solutions resulted in improved patient care and a better experience and this is the main reason why the demand for enterprise mobility services is rising tremendously. MDM has automated most of the process like with the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system doctors can track and record the health metrics of their patients. Patients can receive the electronic copy of their report while requested. BYOD policy can be implemented safely with the help of MDM solutions. With a better understanding of the risks and the right technology, businesses need to select a solution that builds a strong healthcare mobile device strategy.