In the world of the Internet of Things, the rate of Internet connections is outpacing many healthcare facilities’ abilities to secure them, according to an article on the Health IT News website.

Patient health information, payment card information, intellectual property and more are uniquely valuable to hackers.

These technology systems, referred to as operational technology, are primitive and generally poorly governed, making them ripe targets for the infiltration of the main network of a hospital, according to the article.

Commercial buildings also have vulnerabilities rooted in operational technology in places such as HVACs, fire alarm systems, digital signage, elevators, water or electric meters, lighting, and many more. All of those vulnerabilities apply to healthcare organizations, as well.

According to a Forbes article, healthcare organizations should focus on:

• Continual education and reinforcement for everyone who uses the systems
• Encouraging everyone to think about how they use their tool
• Guidance - leadership must lead
• Consistency in reporting and communicating about security 

Read the full Health IT News article.