Next week, the Arcules team will be on-site at the HIMSS Global Health Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas! This conference is the can’t-miss health information and technology event of the year, where professionals throughout the global health ecosystem connect for education, innovation, and collaboration.

For nearly 60 years, HIMSS members and healthcare professionals — from CIOs and senior executives to providers and payers to IT consultants and entrepreneurs — have attended this event. And this year’s event comes at an ideal time. Now, more than ever before, we’re witnessing the role of IT professionals evolve because of the growing demand for cloud-enabled solutions and the increased focus on cybersecurity across the globe.

Security leaders within the healthcare market know that IT is a critical and important resource when it comes to moving physical security solutions to a cloud-based security infrastructure. While the latest technology developments provide numerous benefits to an organization, they can also bring complex technical challenges that IT leaders are well-versed in mitigating.

The fact is, the IT team is already in the trenches. IT is well-versed in the current network infrastructure and how healthcare organizations can take hold of the benefits of new technologies like unified cloud security. Involving the IT department in any security deployment — especially one built on a cloud strategy — ensures a smooth transition and alignment across departments.

Furthermore, healthcare organizations must be vigilant in ensuring the protection of their networked physical security system (and its data!) from a cybersecurity perspective. Because today’s physical devices are IP-based, they’ve become susceptible to cyber vulnerabilities, and those risks are best identified and mitigated by the experts in these fields.

When deploying cloud security services, IT personnel must work in conjunction with the physical security teams to identify any gaps that may leave a system open to attacks. These experienced professionals can also ensure that the proper techniques are followed to strengthen cybersecurity, such as updating passwords, encrypting communication to the cloud, automatically installing software patches, and more.

The IT professionals’ contribution, impact, and responsibility in the security operations of a healthcare environment are certainly changing (and becoming more critical) before our eyes. Healthcare IT specialists can deliver the insight and knowledge necessary to establish safe and effective physical security and operations, and ensure the facility is looking at security holistically.

Interested in learning more about how cloud can modernize your healthcare security operations? Set up a meeting with the Arcules team at HIMSS (booth #1028) – we look forward to meeting you next week at the show!