If your healthcare organization or network is relying on security tools alone for IT staffing shortfalls, then you are already at risk. You could have as much software as you can buy in place, but cybersecurity is rarely a one-and-done process that can be automated on the back end completely. Protecting your data from hackers, human error and other threats requires human intelligence and expertise to successfully navigate the minute and dynamic complexities of the current landscape.
Here is what you need to know about addressing your IT staff gap, and what to watch out for when over-relying on tools to make up the difference:
The IT Staffing Shortage in Healthcare
The healthcare industry has suffered from a staffing shortage for years, and this issue is only compounded when it comes to more specialist roles. This includes non-medical employees such as IT support personnel, who despite being in demand throughout the sector have still faced frequent layoffs as hospitals and other facilities struggle to stay in budget. This has created a continuous cycle of burning out existing IT teams and non-IT staff who are forced to take on the burden of handling more and more systems and data on their own.
How Relying on Security Tools Alone Can Hurt You
Implementing – and maintaining – the right software tools can help you augment your cyber defense, but without people to understand and manage them directly, you can often end up throwing money at a problem instead of solving it. Here are several ways that relying on solutions alone can actually hurt your cybersecurity:
You Do Not Have Enough Staff to Manage Your Security Tools
There has yet to be a security tool that does everything on its own out-of-the-box, which means that every gap has to be filled with human oversight, including when features may not work as intended and manual input is required to correct errors. If you are already short on staff to oversee your day-to-day IT activities, then no one application is going to magically take over all of those extra duties on their own. When qualified personnel are unavailable to interpret alerts, distinguish real threats from false positives and respond appropriately, even the most sophisticated security infrastructure fails.
You are Overlooking Risks and Threats
Most cybersecurity tools handle only certain layers of cyber defense, which often are limited to monitoring and some immediate remediation, leaving deeper resolution actions for bigger threats to your team. That obviously becomes a major risk factor if you are leaving tool management to non-IT staff inexperienced with what to look for (or do), and anything that gets past this first line can go unnoticed for weeks to months.
You May Not Have the Right IT Tools
Different IT solutions have different purposes, and these functions may not necessarily all overlap, leaving your network security net with critical gaps in monitoring and remediation. Healthcare technology stacks in particular often have significant vulnerability points in popular systems like medical imaging programs, which are not always configured properly for all connected applications or devices, or various types of cyber threats. Without the expertise to understand the difference, you may very well end up investing in the wrong tools for the job.
You are Burning Out Your Staff
IT departments all over the U.S. have been experiencing unprecedented levels of burnout and turnover since the 2020 pandemic, exacerbating the issues arising from staffing shortages. This problem is even worse in healthcare, where the industry is beset by constant threats and breach attempts, as attackers know how vulnerable many organizations are. Remaining staff will often face even greater workloads and pressure, contributing to an endless cycle of burnout, especially if non-IT personnel are stuck managing your security tools on their own to make up for the shortfalls.
You Might be Breaking Your Tools
Many software applications require proper configuration to be most effective, or even to prevent a potentially major breach via unsecured protocols. Common errors include default settings that prioritize broad compatibility over security, improperly defined controls that allow unauthorized access and outdated policies that do not reflect current threat landscapes. If your security tools themselves suffer from any misconfigurations, then they will obviously not only fail to protect your data, but also likely become the bridge for a hacker to infiltrate your network and break into other systems.
You Face Data Security Compliance Gaps
Security tools may help you collect the necessary data for regulatory reporting, but without the qualified personnel to ensure you are tracking and collecting the right information, you run the risk of tripping penalties you may not even know exist. Without IT staff who understand these specific requirements, compliance gaps become inevitable regardless of tool sophistication. Many privacy and cybersecurity regulations require continuous monitoring, regular audits and explicit types of documentation, pushing you into nonconformance unknowingly if you miss a step.
You May be Spending More Than You Need to
Some vendors will sell comprehensive security suites when individual solutions would fill in the same protection gaps at lower cost, but if you lack the technical knowledge to understand the distinction, then you may end up paying more for your tools than you need to. Without qualified IT staff to assess your requirements and evaluate options, you will be left with surface-level recommendations that do not account for your specific needs with your existing technology stack.
How a Healthcare MSP Will Scale Your IT
A managed service provider (MSP) addresses the fundamental problem undermining healthcare cybersecurity: the lack of qualified personnel to operate your security tools effectively. MSPs provide the expertise your team needs to configure systems properly, monitor alerts continuously and respond to threats immediately. Working as your outsourced IT support partner, an MSP operates as an extension of your existing team while granting access to specialized expertise and toolsets on-demand, letting you scale your network monitoring and threat remediation efforts at a fraction of the cost.
Secure Your Healthcare Data Properly with SWK Technologies
SWK Technologies is an award-winning MSP that has worked with several healthcare organizations to solve the unique IT challenges of the industry, and that maintains relationships with several leading vendors, allowing us to help you secure discount rates on certain toolsets. Get in touch with our team of experts today and learn more about how our managed IT services can help you get the most out of your tools, including managing your security systems.
Contact SWK here to learn more about how our IT expertise will help you transform your security tools into a reliable shield without needing to increase your headcount.