BlackBerry announced on Thursday that it has become a HIMSS Analytics Certified Consulting team member. As such, it will help direct healthcare organizations through the HIMSS Infrastructure Adoption Model (INFRAM).

WHY IT MATTERS

INFRAM is an eight-stage model (0 – 7) that allows healthcare IT leaders to map the technology infrastructure capabilities needed to reach their organization’s clinical and operational goals, while meeting industry benchmarks and standards, according to HIMSS Analytics, much like the HIMSS Analytics Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) does for EHRs.

Sara Jost, global healthcare industry lead at BlackBerry said that securing communication between doctors, patients, medical devices, and infrastructure is BlackBerry’s strength.

“BlackBerry will assess vulnerabilities in a hospital’s infrastructure, devices, and configurations, using a wide range of penetration testing, social engineering techniques, and physical security assessments,” Jost said. “We will also work with them to identify solutions to fix and/or strengthen their infrastructure.”

THE BIGGER TREND

INFRAM is meant to help provider organizations ensure they have optimal tech in place to help improve care delivery, mitigate risks to cyber security and network infrastructure and ensure their IT is deployed to maximize good business and clinical outcomes, officials said.  Specifically, INFRAM focuses on five technical areas: mobility, security, collaboration, transport and data center.

We reported Nov. 19 that BlackBerry bolstered its IoT security position with a $1.4 billion Cylance acquisition. BlackBerry is betting the company's AI-powered security capabilities will help its enterprise customers, in healthcare and elsewhere, safeguard their connected devices.

The moves follow BlackBerry’s introduction of its secure blockchain solution last month, an operating system for medical devices, and partnerships with Mackenzie Innovation Institute and Melanoma Institute Australia.

ON THE RECORD

HIMSS Analytics Executive Vice President Blain Newton: “With BlackBerry’s deep cybersecurity expertise and footprint in highly regulated industries we’re confident that having BlackBerry at the table will ensure the INFRAM is the gold standard for running a scalable and secure organization.” 

Diana Manos is a Washington, D.C.-area freelance writer specializing in healthcare, wellness and technology. 
Twitter: @Diana_Manos
Email the writer: dnewsprovider@gmail.com