Your planned program, where employees are offered a choice of institution-owned devices, can improve end user satisfaction and flexibility, at the same time as securing protected health information (PHI) and device security. With device management under IT's control, risk exposure is greatly reduced.
With device management under healthcare IT's control, risk exposure is greatly reduced, and manageability will be easier with IT controlling the program in-house. Requiring devices to be approved by the healthcare organization means that IT can recommend suitable devices for each user role, so that applications run more efficiently. This standardization makes it easier to set up meeting rooms, hot desks, nurses' stations and consulting rooms - enhancing the user experience for everyone.
Recommendations for Your New Program
As you ramp up your new program, Lenovo recommends the following:
- Select a vendor that can meet the hardware needs of all user types. This means everything from mobile devices with rugged cases for frontline healthcare workers, to basic desktops for admin teams, or powerful workstations certified to work with the latest medical displays and software. Your vendor should also provide an ecosystem of services and accessories, to help users make the most of their new devices.
- Business-grade build quality, support services, security features and connectivity options. Whether your healthcare institution is a commercial enterprise or not, consider business-grade PCs as they undergo the most rigorous testing and have superior reliability over consumer PCs; critical for delivering 24X7 care. Such devices, like ThinkPad and ThinkCentre PCs, also offer a wider selection of support services and security features. For example, access prioritized tech support and on-site servicing - which is crucial if devices are connected to critical medical systems. Achieve the highest healthcare IT security standards with hardware-based fingerprint readers which are much harder to hack.
- A range of device types based on an audit of job roles in your organization. Today there are many choices, each with their own advantages for different worker roles. Gain user buy-in ahead of time to ease the transition to your new program.
- Plan and implement a comprehensive mobile protection strategy, factoring in features such as Windows 10 Pro mobile device management (MDM).
With your new program, you should have a mobile device policy in place. Some best practices for healthcare organizations include:
- Setting restrictions on how sensitive healthcare data is accessed and copied, using a mobile device management (MDM) solution.
- Having a viable process for handling old devices. Do they get reassigned to another employee? What happens to stored data that might be confidential?
- Considering the latest solutions for remote erase of data on devices which are lost or stolen.
