New cyber security online portal set up by THINK Hauora

SECTOR UPDATE - THINK Hauora

Cyber security continues to be a hot topic within the health care sector, with a particular focus on the security of patient data among a rising rate of phishing activity.

Now a range of information, guidelines and resources on bolstering cyber security awareness of general practice teams and pharmacies is available on a new online portal set up by THINK Hauora, the Primary Care Organisation for the MidCentral district.

“Often general practices and pharmacies don’t have the in-house IT capability to train staff around cyber security so we wanted to fill that gap,” says Nancy Taneja, Chief Technology Officer at THINK Hauora.

Nancy and her team worked in collaboration with general practices and pharmacies from across the MidCentral rohe to gain an understanding of their work environment, level of cyber security awareness and the security setup within the current IT infrastructure.

“There are no standardised resources available that provide the right advice and guidance for small to medium sized business (SMBs) healthcare providers,” adds Nancy. “There are special requirements around Health Information Security and Privacy for SMBs healthcare providers, and commercial IT providers may not have the right level of knowledge around this to provide adequate advice and support.”

The team have now developed the THINK Hauora Cyber Security Portal, tailored specifically for SMB healthcare providers and their staff. The freely accessible resource has been well received in the local provider network and is advocated by Ministry of Health and other Primary Health Organisations.

The site contains advice and guidance on a range of IT issues such as email systems, 2-factor authentication, antivirus software and browser security. The guidelines align with Ministry of Health, Cert NZ and IT best practice and can help in the development of a mature and secure ICT system for SMB healthcare providers.

“The site is available for anyone to use, and our team can provide additional support if desired. We highly recommend any SMB healthcare provider read and implement the systems advice we have provided, and socialise the behaviour recommendations with their staff,” Nancy adds.

As co-chair of the national Chief Information Officers board, Nancy is well placed to understand the unique intricacies of keeping healthcare data and systems safe. The portal is an ongoing project will be further developed to build in more resource and guidance around other areas such as interoperability and social engineering.

You can visit the site at http://cybersecurity.thinkhauora.nz/ and explore the resources available.