Using Marketing and Storytelling to Improve Healthcare Security

Far too often in healthcare security I hear CIOs and CISOs talking about the technology side of security.  It's easy to talk about buying firewalls, anti-virus, email filters and tracking software, and other software and technology solutions to address your security needs.  We can buy a VPN and implement encryption and work on good identity management solutions.  All of this is needed, but it often leaves a gaping hole in your organization's security posture.    Yes, we're talking about the people in your organization that you have to influence to act in the right way.  All the firewalls and VPNs in the world won't stop a user from a well intentioned click on an email phishing attack.  I'm reminded of a CIO that told me that by their very nature and profession, healthcare workers are "caregivers" and want to help.  While this is amazing when they're at the bedside of the patient, it leaves them vulnerable to hackers who prey on this desire to help.   At the end of the day, helping healthcare staff to act in a secure way is more of a communication and marketing task than it is a technical one.  So, it's no wonder that CIOs and CISOs have a hard time effectively doing this.  They're usually tech people and not marketers.  However, the right story and message communicated effectively to the people in your healthcare organization can be one of the best ways to limit your security exposure.   This message was never more clear than a recent interview I did with Scott Ferguson, CEO at Aesto Health.  In the interview, we ask Ferguson about his work with healthcare executives and what he hears them saying about healthcare security and compliance.  Then, Ferguson gives us a master class on how leaders can use communication and marketing skills to address some of the security challenges in their organization.   Learn more about Aesto Health: https://www.aestohealth.com/   Find more great health IT content: https://www.healthcareittoday.com/