Regardless of the pre-attack solutions implemented, it is imperative that healthcare organizations implement a data backup and recovery plan in the event that their data is compromised. A data backup and recovery plan ensures patient-critical data is always backed up seamlessly, restored quickly and protected securely. A proactive data backup and recovery strategy built on the latest cloud technologies will help to ensure that IT systems run continuously even during emergencies.

Success story
The Urology Austin Radiation Center treats patients with complex cases, requiring complete access to their medical records, previous treatments, and medications prescribed.
On January 22, 2017, Urology Austin was hit by ransomware, locking providers out of all patient data, which would prevent further treatment of patients. It was crucial that they get their system back up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Fortunately, Urology Austin was prepared for such an event. Through a data backup and recovery strategy implemented by their MSP, GCS Technologies, Urology Austin was able to restore all their patient information and continued providing uninterrupted care to their patients. Ultimately, Urology Austin did not succumb to the attackers’ demands and did not pay the ransom.

Not all organizations are as fortunate. According to a recent survey from Datto, only about half of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have a disaster recovery plan in place like Urology Austin, which would assist them in getting back up and running more quickly following a ransomware attack. As ransomware attacks on the healthcare industry continue to rise, healthcare organizations need to take proactive steps to safeguard their business, and more importantly, save patient lives.

About the author: Ryan Weeks is the chief information security officer for Datto Inc.

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