Safeguarding the Australian Health Sector with SASE: Beyond Perimeter Defense
Across the Australian healthcare landscape, digital transformation is reshaping medical services, ushering in enhanced care coordination, optimised processes, and innovative technologies. In the past, centralised hospital data centres traditionally secured sensitive information, connecting remote clinics and users via dedicated networks and VPN tunnels. Complementing this, perimeter security enforced protocols against breaches.
The recent rise of cloud computing, combined with the increasing need for Remote Access Security Management, has disrupted this model, driving the need for new cyber solutions as providers embrace scalable cloud services and SaaS applications.
Exit the perimeter and enter the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a revolution in healthcare cybersecurity. SASE's unified platform consolidates security and networking, offering flexibility, scalability, and simplified management. Enabling seamless cloud integration, SASE empowers secure data access and application use, ensuring compliance and patient data protection.
What is Secure Access Service Edge (SASE)?
According to Gartner, SASE is a complete paradigm shift in network security philosophy. Where legacy systems limited user access via location, SASE adopts a user identity approach. SASE is a cloud native architecture combining a robust set of tools that cover the entire technology stack, including endpoints, network devices, and cloud applications.
SASE combines the powers of Identity and access management (IAM), Firewalls, VPNs, Intrusion prevention systems and Endpoint protection technologies into a complete cybersecurity solution.
While large players such as Palo Alto and Fortinet are drawing attention to their SASE solution, at Cythera, we work with Cato Networks, a hidden secret in the cybersecurity landscape. Recently awarded the Gartner challenger award for their SASE solution, Cato was the first company globally to create an end-to-end born-in-the-cloud SASE solution.
Why SASE for the Medical Industry?
As the Australian Healthcare system grows increasingly digitised, so too does the need for more sophisticated cybersecurity solutions. A pandemic-driven move towards telehealth and the increasing implementation of Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, has seen data breaches and other attacks grow exponentially with healthcare one of the most targeted sectors globally and recent findings stating that "significant cybersecurity events are the norm". Cythera understands the complex challenges presented by the Australian medical landscape and can work with you to implement Cato's SASE solution across the entire enterprise.
The Challenge: Safeguarding sensitive patient data amidst rising cyber threats.
The Solution: Cato's SASE platform utilises advanced threat prevention tools, robust encryption mechanisms, and strict access controls to ensure both confidentiality and integrity of patient data.
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The Challenge: Navigating and adhering to intricate healthcare regulations such as Australia's Privacy Act and Health Information Privacy rules.
The Solution: Cato's SASE provides data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities and secure access controls, ensuring that healthcare organisations remain compliant with prevailing regulations.
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The Challenge: Facilitating uninterrupted communication and data transfer among interconnected healthcare facilities.
The Solution: Cato's SASE technology optimises network connectivity across various healthcare entities, fostering accelerated data exchange and user collaboration.
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The Challenge: Protecting the expanding realm of medical IoT devices from security vulnerabilities.
The Solution: Cato's SASE incorporates features like micro-segmentation, ensuring that IoT devices in healthcare are safeguarded from potential cyberattacks and unauthorised breaches.
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The Challenge: The rapid adoption of telehealth necessitates reliable and secure online connections for uninterrupted patient care.
The Solution: Cato's SASE platform employs Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) for rigorous authentication and authorization of users accessing Electronic Health Records. Combined with its Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) to optimise connection stability, accelerated performance, and end-to-end data encryption, it ensures telehealth sessions are both secure and optimised, regardless of the healthcare professional's location.
Cythera and Cato: Revolutionising Healthcare with Next-Level Cybersecurity
Cythera has worked with large industry players in the Australian medical industry to implement Cato's SASE solution, including a trusted radiology provider with over 250 employees spanning more than 15 locations.
With a multitude of endpoint devices, and multiple branches spread across Victoria and NSW, the healthcare client came to us with myriad challenges with their network security and performance. Dissatisfied with their existing telecommunications provider, which lacked modern redundancy capabilities, was slow to respond to service requests and incurred high costs, the client sought a more agile and robust solution. There was an urgent need to streamline support processes, fortify cybersecurity, and safeguard patient records.
Collaborating with Cythera, the client embarked on a transformative journey towards cybersecurity excellence. Cythera designed a Secure Access Services Edge (SASE) platform powered by Cato Networks. This platform integrated network and security solutions, revolutionising the client's operations. The SASE architecture extended across clinics, data centres, and offices, providing a unified network infrastructure.
With Cythera's expertise, the solution included increased network bandwidth, carrier diverse paths for improved redundancy, and cloud-delivered security controls from Cato Networks and Rapid7. This comprehensive approach proactively monitored and detected security incidents, reinforcing the client's cybersecurity posture.
Is your healthcare organisation prepared to face evolving cyber threats in the digital age? Partner with Cythera and leverage Cato's SASE technology to fortify your security defences, ensure patient data protection, and enable seamless healthcare operations in an interconnected world.
