Director of ICT at King Hamad University Hospital: Healthcare sustainability depends on cybersecurity

Director of ICT at King Hamad University Hospital: Healthcare sustainability depends on cybersecurity

Mr. Hamad Saeed Abdulrahman, Director of Information and Communication Technology Directorate at King Hamad University Hospital, stated that cybersecurity in operational technology (OT) is a challenge in almost any industry and in healthcare sector those challenges are exacerbated by regulatory burdens and risks to protect patient safety and personal information in some cases. “Valuable protected health information (PHI), portable medical devices that can administer medication doses, and even refrigerators that hold life-saving vaccines and treatments are all connected to a healthcare organization’s network. When that network gets hacked, it can wreak havoc on an entire health system and its patients.” According to Mr. Abdulrahman. This was stated during the “Zero Trust Security – Always Verify” Forum, moderated held by NGN International, a full-fledged systems integrator and Managed Security Service Provider based in Bahrain. The forum was a part of the “NGN Majlis”‘ efforts to enhance awareness of cyber security amongst Bahraini institutions and individuals. “The concept of “Zero Trust” security model, assures that no device or user is automatically trusted before being vetted by strict authentication processes. Zero trust is not a single technology or tactic, but a set of cyber defences that collectively look for threats outside and within