According to HPE Aruba, nearly 90% of early IoT adopters have already suffered an IoT related security breach. But the good news is threats to the healthcare sector can be combated with good practice, Jose Vasco, Regional Director MEMA at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, tells us.
When it comes to healthcare, six in 10 organisations are already using IoT. Maybe you’ve seen your nurse accessing your x-ray data from their mobile device while at your bedside? That’s IoT in action.
According to recent research carried out by HPE Aruba, one of the biggest benefit healthcare professionals have experienced to date, is the ability to use sensors to monitor and maintain medical devices.
The use of IoT in healthcare is far more than a gimmick. If every nurse could save just five minutes on their daily shift, think what that would mean for efficiency gains, cost savings and overall quality of care. If technology can make this happen, it’s an absolute certainty that its use will become more widespread.
Opportunities to innovate
Healthcare is one of the richest areas of opportunity for IoT. IoT device can reduce costs in the healthcare industry by providing lower cost alternatives to traditionally expensive devices; connecting devices to networks for improved accessibility and capturing data with greater accuracy than ever before.
Overcoming IoT threats
With these kinds of results being seen, it’s no surprise to learn that IoT in healthcare is growing. By 2019, 87% of healthcare organisations will have adopted IoT technology, but the risk of security remains a barrier that must be overcome.
According to HPE Aruba, 89% of early IoT adopters have already suffered an IoT related security breach. To prevent security fears casting to big a shadow over IoT growth and innovation, threats from malware and human error must be neutralised.
While the security threat from IoT is real – it can also be combatted. I work with many hospitals that use network monitoring to collect advanced information collection every device connected to their network, and they are also able to grant multiple levels of access to different users. It’s a process that allows you to see which device is doing what, and where the risks are, in real time.
Conclusion
When discussing the returns of IoT, the results reported by organisations which have already deployed IoT were consistently higher than the estimations of those who are yet to get started. Adopters of IoT surveyed, experienced improved efficiency (82%) and increased profitability (72%) – proving the technology’s value.
The rise of IoT in healthcare is impressive, but the industry has only scratched the surface of what is possible with this technology. A mix of good technology solutions will help the healthcare industry maintain this momentum and continue to push the boundaries of IoT innovation. And really, that could be life-changing.
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