Healthcare security leaders have a lot on their plates. IT teams must stay up to date on security best practices and threats while handling other initiatives amid staff turnover and skills shortages. As healthcare organizations continue to deal with an influx of phishing and ransomware attacks, bad actors have now added artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cyberattack methods.
According to new research conducted by CDW, only 14 percent of healthcare IT leaders surveyed report that their organizations’ IT security teams are fully staffed. Most organizations (57 percent) say that they only occasionally need more help or say that it would be nice to have more help. However, nearly 30 percent of IT leaders say that their organizations are understaffed or severely understaffed.
“A lot of organizations are experiencing pain because the security workforce is not large enough,” says Stephanie Hagopian, vice president of security for CDW. “Staffing issues tend to pervade, and automation is definitely an effective way to contend with those staffing challenges.”
Security automation tools can support health IT teams, especially with staying on top of routine maintenance tasks, one of the top stressors reported by health IT leaders. Unfortunately, many organizations lack the budget to invest in security initiatives. More than a quarter of those surveyed say that their organizations lack sufficient budgetary resources for cybersecurity.
The report explores how healthcare security teams are faring, which solutions and services are most effective, and how healthcare organizations can best approach challenges related to staff and budget shortages.
Click the banner below to read the “2024 CDW Cybersecurity Report.”