Smartphones nearly ubiquitous in healthcare, but security called lacking

Some 95 percent of all healthcare enterprises make use of smartphones, making healthcare one of the most mobile industries around, but few have fully addressed security concerns related to mobile devices, according to a new survey.

The survey, commissioned by technology firm Fiberlink Communications, Blue Bell, Pa., and conducted by Forrester Research's consulting division, found that 90 percent of IT leaders in healthcare consider data security "critically important" or "highly important," and 86 percent were concerned about regulatory compliance. Yet, only 29 percent of those queried actively protect data links at the user level, despite the fact that 31 percent report that their data had been compromised at least once in the past year.

"There's good reason for these IT pros to be concerned," the report says. "As close to 100 percent of healthcare organizations take on devices such as smart phones, adding to the desktops and laptops already in place, there isn't uniform control across the varying types of devices users rely on."

Release of the survey was timed to coincide with Fiberlink's launch of a security status reporting platform for the healthcare industry.

For greater detail:
- read this Healthcare IT News story
- see this Fiberlink press release
- download the Forrester white paper

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