In a multiyear deal, cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks has been chosen by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide security for several of its valued assets.
Namely, the VA has recruited the help of Palo Alto to protect its increased remote workforce, its collection of Internet of Medical Things (IoMTs) and the Electronic Health Record Modernization program, the company announced Tuesday.
Palo Alto Networks President BJ Jenkins explained that the DA is a safety net for millions of veterans, extending services such as healthcare. Jenkins considers this a “critical mission” and remarked that using the company’s cybersecurity tools for this purpose was a badge of honor.
The partnership between Palo Alto and the VA has been ongoing now for a decade.
The Santa Clara, California-based company’s remote access technology will be used to secure the remote workforce expansion. In addition, the VA’s electronic records modernization strategy, which has been configured to give 9 million veterans a resistance-free access to healthcare, intends to implement next-generation security technology.
Automated visibility of healthcare records will also be installed into all IoMT devices in the VA’s network via said technology.
In September 2021, Palo Alto released a study regarding IoT trends and security issues, the IoT Security Report. It polled 1,900 IT professionals worldwide.
One revelation from the report was that 78 percent of those surveyed saw an increase in the number of IoT security incidents spurned by a transition to remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Numbers like these are likely the reason the VA is seeking out Palo Alto’s services to ensure security with their data and programs.
