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A visit to the dentist is often a poor experience, especially for patients getting a painful treatment such as a tooth extraction or a root canal. Often, their stress over the treatment itself is compounded by the hassle of setting the appointment, filling out endless forms, and getting asked the same questions over and over by the dental staff.

All across the world, hackers are targeting and exploiting security weaknesses and holding data hostage. In May, the Colonial Pipeline was hit by a cyber-attack that disrupted fuel supplies along the East Coast for several days. The company – and the FBI – paid hackers $4.4 million in Bitcoin to regain control of the system.

At the start of 2021, threat actors took advantage of coronavirus-related fears, putting other people in harm’s way for their own gain. In 2022, expect threat actors to be as brazen as ever. Here are the cybersecurity threats that individuals and organizations like yours will face this year.

The past couple of years have been difficult for just about everyone. Business owners, private practices, and healthcare offices have had to adapt and evolve to survive in an ever-changing climate. There's no telling when or even if things will go back to what we once thought was "normal.

As we approach the end of 2021, it is best to look at what the new year may have in store. To help you prepare for and thrive in 2022, our IT experts at Healthy IT have provided their top five IT predictions.

Creating new hybrid work tools, services, and functionalities
With the rollout of vaccinations in 2021, many companies shifted from fully remote to hybrid work arrangements, giving employees the option to work remotely part of the time.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced New York businesses to adopt new ways to operate. Many companies allowed employees to work remotely as a way to maintain productivity despite lockdowns. Some are keeping this work arrangement forever, while others are going for a hybrid work setup.

Online shopping has become more popular than ever before. In 2020, more than 2 billion people bought products or services online. Whether they’re shopping online because it’s more convenient or they’re avoiding going to brick-and-mortar retailers during the ongoing pandemic, more people are turning to online retailers every day.

To improve their operations and provide better patient experience, many dental practices in New York have leveraged IT solutions like appointment management apps, oral imaging, and automated billing systems. While such IT solutions offer plenty of benefits, they also introduce new cybersecurity concerns that dental practices must take seriously for the following reasons:
Patient records are protected under HIPAA
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 safeguards a patient’s protected health information (PHI) from being disclosed without the patient’s knowledge or consent.

Ransomware threats have skyrocketed in 2021. Check Point’s Cyber Attack Trends 2021 Mid Year Report revealed that there were 93% more ransomware attacks in the first half of 2021 than in the same period last year. Just halfway through 2021, SonicWall’s Cyber Threat Report 2021 Mid-Year Update already declared the year as the worst one to date in terms of the number of recorded ransomware attempts.

No law firm in New York and beyond is completely safe from data security incidents, so it pays to be prepared for them at all times. On top of implementing measures that safeguard data and ensure business continuity, your firm can be ready for cyber incidents by investing in cybersecurity insurance.