It’s not uncommon for large healthcare organizations to support patients via thousands of systems––servers, network hardware, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices particular to the medical practice. Healthcare organizations are primary targets for attackers and are required to follow strict regulations to stop data breaches. HIPAA violations are costly, and unpatched hardware leaves healthcare systems vulnerable to numerous threats including malware, ransomware, security bypasses, and possible remote code execution. Patching systems with the latest update is critical to data protection and risk management, and it keeps the company compliant with HIPAA guidelines.

Segmentation in network environments is nothing new. It’s common for administrators to segment the network based on logical functions and security controls. For example, the finance department is one segment, and the sales department is another segment. All segments can send traffic to email servers (for example), but user traffic does not enter finance or sales segments unless the user is authorized to access them.

The healthcare sector faced a staggering 156% increase in breached records in 2023. The concern goes beyond just alarming statistics: Breaches pose a direct risk to patient safety by disrupting essential healthcare services, including eligibility verification, prescription processing, and hospital discharge procedures.