Cerner is working with Medigate, which specializes medical device security and asset management, to help healthcare customers develop stronger network security and manage the unique security demands of medical devices.

WHY IT MATTERS
Medigate and Cerner say the partnership will offer hospitals and health systems more in-depth visibility into their security with continuous monitoring of network activity to create a current, detailed medical and IoT device inventory.

Medigate's technology aims to identify potential security risks and help inform appropriate response to protect the integrity and privacy of the clinical network; its platform also supports preemptive measures, supporting appropriate remediation to mitigate threats and keep the delivery of patient care safe.

The companies say that for hospital clients that implement Medigate's security tools, Cerner's own cybersecurity experts will be better equipped to help accurately inventory IoT and IoMT environments and help with development of more effective clinical-based policies that help protect all connected devices and reduce the risk of cyberattacks.

Cerner says it will also offer remediation services to stifle attacks, helping healthcare organizations to recover in the event of a cyberattack.

THE LARGER TREND
In a statement, Medigate CEO Jonathan Langer pointed to research from IDC that estimates "about 41.6 billion IoT devices in the field by 2025." Given that massive proliferation of vulnerable connected technologies, many running on legacy software, "it is extremely important that healthcare organizations have more visibility and control over what's going on in their clinical network," he said.

ON THE RECORD
"Cerner has spent the last 40 years connecting people and systems within the healthcare industry," said Langer. "Working together will help thousands of health systems establish and maintain better control, to protect their data, ongoing operations and, ultimately, patient care."

"It's important that the healthcare industry proactively work to prevent data breaches and cyberthreats rather than wait to react after the damage has been done," added Jay Savaiano, senior director of security solutions at Cerner. "We're committed to helping our clients discover, manage and protect operations from today's attacks and tomorrow's threats."