How BYOD Is Putting PHI At Risk

In this Q&A, Darren Leroux, senior director of product marketing at WinMagic, shares his thoughts on the rise of BYOD in healthcare, why some security measures are failing, and why healthcare has become a target of hackers.

Q: How has the rise of BYOD in healthcare impacted the security of protected health information (PHI)?
A: The significant rise of BYOD in healthcare should not have come as a surprise. Doctors are already on tight schedules so the convenience BYOD brings them is a no brainer. They can take their tablet or smartphone with them from patient to patient, have all of the information they need at their fingertips, and improve their workflows. What does come as a shock is that more than half of healthcare institutions do not feel that the devices accessing their networks are secure, according to a recent study from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Healthcare organizations are establishing BYOD policies, inclusive of data encryption, to make up for the inherent device insecurities.

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