Don’t Settle for Checking Boxes

With all the challenges of running a practice, cybersecurity can seem like a distraction. But the threats to your network are real, as is the need to comply with regulations and insurance requirements. And it’s only going to get harder.

The impulse to wish away the need to spend time and money on security and compliance is understandable. It’s not what you do, it’s complicated and cryptic, it has a cost, especially to do it effectively.

As security and compliance can’t really be ignored there is the temptation to make the appearance of meeting the need by checking the boxes without considering the effectiveness of the chosen solutions. I’ve installed anti-virus, check. I have a firewall, check. I have backups, check. I did a HIPAA self-assessment, check, etc., etc., etc. Now I can forget about it forever and get back to my patients.

If you are really lucky (and the odds are not in your favor, just scan the news) you might get by with that approach. The existential risk is you are wrong, your network is compromised, you lose data, lose productivity, are legally liable to respond to a breach, and worse. That’s when the cost of effective security and compliance looks like a bargain, and you want to turn back the clock and make different choices.

As there is no quantifiable end to cyberthreats, you can theoretically spend almost any amount of money on cybersecurity. However, you rapidly reach a point of diminishing return that is not much more expensive than the check-the-box solutions.  The expertise is in knowing where the sweet spot is. And to make those elements effective they need to be correctly configured, regularly updated, and continuously monitored. Otherwise even the best choices are ineffective.

Don’t risk your practice with sub-optimal security and compliance choices. Take advantage of dental IT specialists with experience that understand your needs, can help you identify the appropriate solutions for your practice and effectively implement and manage them.