Healthcare’s Digital Transformation: Why it Matters

The healthcare sector is in the midst of a major digital transformation. With the advent of new technologies in artificial intelligence, cloud services, and cyber security, medical organizations and facilities ranging from large hospitals to private practices to small clinics must lean into this transformation to provide the best care to their patients. But what exactly is the healthcare digital transformation in Long Island, NYC, and why does it matter? Read on to discover the answers to these questions and more.

What Is Digital Transformation in Healthcare | Long Island Tech Solutions Explains

The “digital transformation” is the rapid adoption and spread of new technologies, digital solutions, and data practices throughout the healthcare industry. For example, many medical providers now offer telehealth services, plus secure portals for patients to access their medical data 24/7.

Yet despite the rapid progress of new digital tech tools and platforms throughout the healthcare industry, most efforts at maximizing digital transformation are less than successful. According to the Boston Consulting Group, only about 30% of digital transformation efforts are “clearly successful.”

Clinics, private practices, and large hospitals must have the right IT support to ensure their digital transformations go smoothly. 

Streamlining Healthcare Data Management with Managed IT Services in Long Island

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Why Is Digital Transformation Important for Healthcare  Services in Long Island, NYC?

There are many critical reasons why healthcare’s ongoing digital transformation is vital for modern patients in Long Island, NYC and beyond.

Stronger Security Is Vital

For starters, it’s never been more critical for hospitals, medical centers, and other healthcare facilities to have strong digital security. In the first half of 2023 alone, over 39 million individuals have been affected by healthcare data breaches.

Healthcare data breaches can lead to identity theft, loss of medical facility reputation, and even patient injury (if patient data is taken and compromised/altered by cybercriminals).

To better protect their patients and avoid significant fines and penalties, healthcare organizations must adopt transformative digital technologies to ensure comprehensive IT protection across the board.

Patients Need Secure Access to Their Data

At the same time, modern healthcare patients in Long Island, NYC and elsewhere require secure, consistent access to their medical data. By giving patients access to their health records and personal information, medical organizations:

This often involves giving patients secure portals to access their healthcare info whenever they want to see it. But it also involves connecting different digital tools to facilitate fast data updates, strong cyber security, and other elements of a robust, interconnected IT infrastructure at hospitals and other healthcare facilities.  

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Remote Medicine Is Rising

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a trend that was already in motion: the rise of telehealth or remote medicine. In essence, many patients now expect to be able to communicate with their healthcare providers and even go through basic checkups entirely remotely, all without having to leave their homes.

Ensuring that your healthcare organization progresses through the digital transformation is vital to meet these rising needs. Many patients now require telehealth visits and resources from their healthcare providers. Your medical practitioners can provide it with video conferencing software, interconnected webcams and microphones, and more.

The rise of remote medicine will also help medical facilities provide their care to a greater range of patients from further away.

Tools Need to Work Together

Digital transformation also matters because modern tech tools must be developed and integrated well. Many medical facilities and their staff members struggle to adopt modern tools and platforms purely because they do not interface with each other, forcing them to rely on older, analog options.

As the digital transformation progresses, more tools will become easily integrated with facilities’ tech stacks, speeding up widespread digital adoption. That’s doubly true with the assistance of managed IT service providers like LI Tech Solutions.

Healthcare Compliance and Cloud Computing

How Can LI Tech Help Your Healthcare Organization Meet Modern Challenges?

Because the healthcare digital transformation is so multifaceted and complex, it can be tough for your healthcare organization to meet these new challenges on its own. That’s where LI Tech Solutions can help.

Managed Services

Our managed IT services, including network auditing, risk mitigation, and cloud architecture setup and management, can form the cornerstone of your modern digital evolution effort. We’ll help you set up new technologies throughout your healthcare organization and ensure you and your staff know how to use those technologies adequately for your patients.

For example, we can integrate your existing tech and tools with the cloud and provide hosting with scalable resources depending on your hour-to-hour needs.  

Callout 3: How can Li Tech Help your healthcare organization meet modern challenges? 4 advantages listed

Data Protection

At LI Tech Solutions, we provide various data protection services to businesses throughout Long Island, NYC. These include:

  • Disaster recovery services
  • Data backup services
  • Resource scaling
  • Data analysis and network monitoring
  • And more

You’ll feel safer than ever with LI Tech at your side! 

Cloud Services

We also offer a variety of cloud services, including private clouds, public clouds, hybrid clouds, and multi-clouds. We can transfer your technology, data, and resources to the cloud for easier access throughout your organization without compromising digital security.

Staff Training

Many of the biggest challenges of the digital transformation stem from a lack of training for healthcare staff members. We can help you create and maintain effective, positive learning techniques so your staff members know how to use advanced tools and technologies to maximum effect.

In addition, this will minimize the overall risk your organization faces from digital threats like hackers and phishing scams.

Get in Touch with LI Tech Solutions For a Healthcare Digital Transformation in Long Island, NYC

Ultimately, LI Tech Solutions is the go-to Long Island IT services provider for healthcare organizations like yours throughout New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area. We offer data protection, cloud infrastructure, staff training, and much more: all valuable services that can help you make the most of the digital transformation and ensure your healthcare organization is modernized for your patients.

There’s no need to wait. Contact us today to learn what we can do for you.

4 Dangerous Ransomware Myths Proven False

What Is Data Protection? Why It’s Important and Why Cybersecurity Can’t Be Separate

Ransomware is one of the most pervasive and dangerous forms of malware or computer virus. Not only is it dangerous for individual desktops and mobile devices, but it can be positively catastrophic for businesses of all sizes in Long Island, NYC.

A ransomware attack occurs when a virus installs itself on a device, like a desktop or phone. It finds and encrypts sensitive data or locks down the device completely unless a ransom is paid, usually in cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.

Unfortunately, many business owners believe that they are safe from ransomware, or believe other harmful myths about this digital threat. Today, we’ll bust four myths about ransomware so you’re better equipped to protect yourself and your business in the future.  

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Myth 1 – Ransomware Attackers Only Target Big Companies

Many small to mid-sized business owners erroneously believe that their enterprises are safe from ransomware attacks. They think ransomware cybercriminals only target big businesses with tons of customers and lots of extra money in the bank. This is not true in the slightest.

In truth, most ransomware attackers don’t know the identities of their victims. They send out ransomware attacks, such as phishing emails, rather indiscriminately. If they get anyone to install the virus on a computer terminal, they’ve succeeded. Most individuals don’t know what to do, and will pay the ransom out of desperation.

According to a Cybersecurity Special Report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and RSM, 23% of middle-market company executives reported at least ransomware ransom or attack in 2022. This demonstrates how any brand can be vulnerable to ransomware attacks, not just big businesses.

If you think your small business is safe just because you’ve been fortunate enough not to run into a ransomware attack yet, think again. Sooner or later, you and your employees will know what to do when you’re targeted (albeit blindly) by a ransomware-armed cybercriminal.

Myth 2 – Paying a Ransom Demand is Safer

By nature, each ransomware virus demands a ransom from its victim. Some business owners and individuals think that paying the ransom demand is safer, especially if the ransom message says that the criminal will delete sensitive data or expose sensitive files if payments aren’t made ASAP.

In truth, you should never pay a ransom demand if a device is infected with a ransomware virus. Ransomware creators can’t be trusted – they’re criminals, after all. More importantly, there’s nothing stopping those criminals from carrying out whatever ill ideas they have in mind after you fork over the cash.

It’s a much better idea to work with incident response or IR cybersecurity specialists. They can deal with ransomware attacks, evaluate the situation, and help you get access to sensitive data quickly without having to pay the bad actors. Even if paying the ransom is the right move, you should only do it with a cybersecurity negotiator on your team.

Whatever you do, don’t keep a ransomware attack to yourself. Inform your employees or your cybersecurity specialists so the proper response can begin at the earliest opportunity.  

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Myth 3 – Antivirus Will Always Keep You Safe

Strong antivirus software is certainly a great tool in your overall digital defense toolkit. However, it won’t universally keep yourself or your company safe from ransomware and other malware attacks.

The truth is that digital defenses must constantly keep up with newly evolving viruses and cyber attack threat vectors. Even the best antivirus firewall can have gaps in its armor from time to time. Therefore, a new ransomware virus that hasn’t been detected and studied before might slip through and attack your business’s sensitive files.

Furthermore, many ransomware attacks occur through antivirus software because of employee negligence. One of the most common vectors for ransomware is a phishing email, which is a scam email that installs a virus onto a user terminal when it is opened.

Therefore, you can’t just rely on antivirus to keep your enterprise safe. You must also:

  • Use regular cloud security monitoring for your sensitive files. Such monitoring and alert you as soon as a cyber breach is detected
  • Train your employees to recognize and avoid ransomware threats. For instance, teaching your employees basic cyber hygiene skills, like not opening suspicious-looking emails, can do wonders to reduce the vulnerability of your business to ransomware attacks

Myth 4 – Backups Are Enough to Protect Against Ransomware

It might be tempting to think that backing up your sensitive data is enough to protect you if the worst comes to pass if your business crashes with a ransomware attack. However, backups can’t always be relied upon to save the day, nor can they always protect your brand from reputational damage amongst your customers.

In fact, many cybercriminals now have advanced malicious tactics to compromise backup files, locking them down or deleting them if ransomware victims don’t pay the fines.

So-called double extortion attacks involve cybercriminals encrypting and stealing data at the same time. So even if you do have a backup of key data ready to go, the criminals can still leak that sensitive data unless you pay the demanded ransom.

Given these threats, you shouldn’t merely rely on backups to protect your business and its reputation. Instead, keep the above tips in mind – such as training your employees and hiring cybersecurity specialists – to shore up your business’s digital defenses as much as possible.  

Are You Properly Backing Up Your Business Data?

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Contact LI Tech for the Best NY Cybersecurity Assistance

As you can see, ransomware is far more dangerous than you may have initially realized. Even though some of your ideas about ransomware have been busted, remember that you can protect your business and your personal files by working with the right security partners.

At LI Tech, our capable specialists can draw up a list of security best practices for you and your employees to follow. We also offer a spread of managed cloud security services in Long Island, NYC. Contact us today to see how we can keep you safe from ransomware.