Alpha Thunder Tag-4 WC Blog 56
i-pad theft-3
Tablet theft-4
Patient Data On Medical Mobile Devices; Protect It With Alpha Thunder Tags
Remember the credit card commercials from several years ago that gave the prices of items and ended with a some touching moment or funny ending and the narrator ended the commercial with the word “priceless”? Here is my version of the commercial:
i-pad mini $299.99
ipad air 2 $374.99
Apple i-pad pro $1,082.89
Microsoft Surface Book $1,499.99
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 $2,199.00
Personal Data Security – Priceless!
In today’s medical field the use of medical mobile devices is becoming commonplace. i-pads, tablets, laptop computers all are taking the place of paper files and records. From the viewpoint of the medical providers I can appreciate what this access means in terms of providing faster service. Patient records are available at the tap of a screen or the few clicks of a mouse. The concern that I have seen expressed in medical related websites has been the breaches of medical information security. Not only is hacking of medical information from external threats an issue, there is also the issue related to laptop theft, tablet theft and i-pad theft. Many of the devices in use today can easily fit into a purse, a book bag and even under clothing. While there are not many anti-theft tools available to prevent theft of mobile devices, there is one effective device on the market, the Alpha Thunder Tag.
So the question you may be thinking is, “Why am I concerned, my devices have gps tracking so if they leave the building they can still be tracked?” Once the device leaves the building you no longer have control over it. What information can hackers retrieve if they do get into your tablet, i-pad or laptop? The Alpha Thunder Tag prevents laptop theft or tablet theft by attaching directly to the mobile device and has three potential alarm mechanisms. The first two alarms work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. If someone were to walk out with a device that has a tag on it, the EAS alarm antenna will activate an audible alarm built into the antenna. The device itself will also activate a built in audible alarm alerting staff to an unauthorized removal of the mobile technology from the building. Should someone attempt to remove the tag from a device in an effort to steal it, there is a tamper alarm that will sound.
Aside from the value of some of the tablets and i-pads being used in the medical field, what does tablet theft, or i-pad theft benefits someone? What could they possibly do with a patient’s medical information? In an April 23, 2014 Reuters (online) article by Jim Finkle, the writer quotes a senior manager from EMC Corporation, a company specializing in data storage, “Some criminals use medical records to impersonate patients with diseases so they can obtain prescriptions for controlled substances.” On the black market, prescription medications can be valued in the thousands of dollars, depending on the drug being sold. This does not include the value of personal information on the black market which I have read in several articles can be valued from $20 to $50 per patient. The buyers can obtain information about patients from billing addresses to social security numbers. The impact can be more severe than the data breaches suffered by major retailers in the past few years. Alpha Thunder Tags keep the devices used in medical offices in the building and out of the hands of criminals and hackers. Any attempts to exit a building with a Thunder Tag protected device and has entry points/exits secured with EAS antennas will activate the alarms and allow office personnel to intervene.
Who can benefit by preventing i-pad theft and tablet theft? Any medical provider that deals with patient information can benefit. This may be the family dentist practice on the corner or the small medical research laboratory. A medical provider that can become a victim does not have to be the regional medical center or medical school it can be the smaller office serving a local town. Any facility that begins converting to the use of mobile medical devices needs to consider the security offered by Alpha Thunder Tags.
For more information on Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
Remember the credit card commercials from several years ago that gave the prices of items and ended with a some touching moment or funny ending and the narrator ended the commercial with the word “priceless”? Here is my version of the commercial:
i-pad mini $299.99
ipad air 2 $374.99
Apple i-pad pro $1,082.89
Microsoft Surface Book $1,499.99
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 $2,199.00
Personal Data Security – Priceless!
In today’s medical field the use of medical mobile devices is becoming commonplace. i-pads, tablets, laptop computers all are taking the place of paper files and records. From the viewpoint of the medical providers I can appreciate what this access means in terms of providing faster service. Patient records are available at the tap of a screen or the few clicks of a mouse. The concern that I have seen expressed in medical related websites has been the breaches of medical information security. Not only is hacking of medical information from external threats an issue, there is also the issue related to laptop theft, tablet theft and i-pad theft. Many of the devices in use today can easily fit into a purse, a book bag and even under clothing. While there are not many anti-theft tools available to prevent theft of mobile devices, there is one effective device on the market, the Alpha Thunder Tag.
So the question you may be thinking is, “Why am I concerned, my devices have gps tracking so if they leave the building they can still be tracked?” Once the device leaves the building you no longer have control over it. What information can hackers retrieve if they do get into your tablet, i-pad or laptop? The Alpha Thunder Tag prevents laptop theft or tablet theft by attaching directly to the mobile device and has three potential alarm mechanisms. The first two alarms work in conjunction with electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems. If someone were to walk out with a device that has a tag on it, the EAS alarm antenna will activate an audible alarm built into the antenna. The device itself will also activate a built in audible alarm alerting staff to an unauthorized removal of the mobile technology from the building. Should someone attempt to remove the tag from a device in an effort to steal it, there is a tamper alarm that will sound.
Aside from the value of some of the tablets and i-pads being used in the medical field, what does tablet theft, or i-pad theft benefits someone? What could they possibly do with a patient’s medical information? In an April 23, 2014 Reuters (online) article by Jim Finkle, the writer quotes a senior manager from EMC Corporation, a company specializing in data storage, “Some criminals use medical records to impersonate patients with diseases so they can obtain prescriptions for controlled substances.” On the black market, prescription medications can be valued in the thousands of dollars, depending on the drug being sold. This does not include the value of personal information on the black market which I have read in several articles can be valued from $20 to $50 per patient. The buyers can obtain information about patients from billing addresses to social security numbers. The impact can be more severe than the data breaches suffered by major retailers in the past few years. Alpha Thunder Tags keep the devices used in medical offices in the building and out of the hands of criminals and hackers. Any attempts to exit a building with a Thunder Tag protected device and has entry points/exits secured with EAS antennas will activate the alarms and allow office personnel to intervene.
Who can benefit by preventing i-pad theft and tablet theft? Any medical provider that deals with patient information can benefit. This may be the family dentist practice on the corner or the small medical research laboratory. A medical provider that can become a victim does not have to be the regional medical center or medical school it can be the smaller office serving a local town. Any facility that begins converting to the use of mobile medical devices needs to consider the security offered by Alpha Thunder Tags.
For more information on Alpha Thunder Tags contact us or call 1.770.426.0547
