Tony Corkettfounder of Cloud21, has been appointed as Chair of the HIMSS Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Security Committee for the final year of his two year term. 

The committee has been set up to guide the implementation of strategic initiatives that promote the privacy and security of healthcare information and management systems. 

Commenting on the appointment Corkett said, ‘Spending the last year working alongside the HIMSS committee members has been a privilege. What the HIMSS global community enables is for members from different regions to learn from one another and this is especially needed when it comes to cyber security. 

Whilst the world has focussed on battling COVID-19, hackers have intensified their activity, some targeting the organisations developing vaccines. Health data is a goldmine and it’s value will continue to increase. Plans here in the UK to establish ICSs and the need to consolidate data from multiple sources, including consumer apps and wearables, brings us a step closer to achieving population health management. However, with it comes increased risk of cyber-attacks because of the value this data holds 

Acute resource imbalance hinders the abilities of health IT teams to effectively protect their estates and so we need to ensure the teams tasked with protecting our health data are sufficiently supported. As Chair of the HIMSS cyber security committee I hope to be able to support the committee in drawing out key learnings that can shape guidance which can be shared with our peers across health and care. 

HIMSS, a non-profit organisation, is a global advisor and thought leader supporting the transformation of health through information and technology. Their global network of health IT professionals offers expertise in health innovation, public policy, workforce development, research and analytics to global leaders, stakeholders and influencers on best practices in health information and technology. 

The group meets monthly to review and discuss relevant current issues and topics to provide advice to the HIMSS community.  

Find out more here: 

https://www.himss.org/get-involved/committees/cybersecurity-privacy-and-security