Why Inventory Management Is a Key Element of Incident Response Planning

Cross-functional coordination is key for healthcare organizations. Incident response planning should go hand in hand with asset management and should involve the IT team in addition to other stakeholders, such as the legal, communications and clinical departments. This ensures that nothing slips through the cracks during an incident.

Thompson recommends centralizing resources, expertise and strategies across a hospital or health system. “A whole-of-state approach also connects [organizations] with state and federal leaders, enabling collaboration through shared information, pooled resources and access to broader funding opportunities,” he says. This increases coordination and visibility, aligning tools and enhancing threat detection.

Conduct Device and Security Audits of Healthcare Devices

Even the best inventory management systems won’t be very useful “if you don’t actually audit stuff,” says Bill Loller, chief product officer at Incident IQ. He recommends that healthcare organizations conduct frequent audits.

These assessments — including regular audits and tabletop exercises — can help healthcare IT teams identify and reduce potential vulnerabilities in their digital ecosystems, even in a rapidly changing environment.

A robust security audit should include risk assessments, compliance audits, vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, process audits, policy reviews, incident response evaluations and information privacy reviews, Thompson says.

READ MORE: Proper asset management can prevent cyberattacks.

Support Understaffed Cybersecurity Teams With Expert Resources

Despite challenges such as IT staffing, tackling asset management isn’t something that can wait. One solution might be to contract with a managed security services provider that offers around-the-clock protection and scalable systems tailored to educational environments.

Another option: Hire a virtual CISO to get cybersecurity support on a temporary basis. “That gets you the expertise, and it helps with strategy and execution,” says Loller.