The White House held a briefing on June 14 with representatives from Google and Microsoft to elaborate on the cybersecurity program being offered to rural communities. These initiatives are designed to improve cybersecurity measures for rural hospitals across the United States.
Microsoft is extending its nonprofit program to provide rural hospitals with up to a 75% discount on productivity and security solutions, including Microsoft Office 365. Larger hospitals already using Microsoft Office 365 will receive a year of advanced security solutions at no extra cost. Additionally, Microsoft is offering free security assessments for rural hospitals to identify vulnerabilities and strategic guidance for addressing them. They are also providing training and skill-building opportunities for IT and compliance employees. Microsoft is committed to collaborating closely with rural hospitals and has initiated an innovation lab to explore technology solutions for streamlining processes like revenue recapture. Hospitals interested in participating can register through the Microsoft Cybersecurity Program for Rural Hospitals intake form, which is available online.
Google is launching several initiatives to enhance cybersecurity for rural hospitals. They will provide endpoint security advice free of charge and offer funding to support software migration. Google will initiate a pilot program with rural hospitals to develop customized security capabilities tailored to their unique needs. Furthermore, Google is investing in cybersecurity clinics, educational institutions to assist small and underserved rural health systems. These clinics will educate students and provide direct support to rural hospitals. They will offer Chrome Enterprise Premium and Chrome OS Flex to rural health systems in the United States, as well as consulting services and financial assistance. Google Workspace, their collaboration and productivity suite, will be provided to rural health systems with AI security add-ons, facilitating zero trust implementation and ensuring all threats coming through email are detonated in the cloud. Additionally, Google is partnering with Mandiant to offer on-demand training courses and mentorship programs through the health ISAC to enhance threat intelligence skills and information sharing within the healthcare sector. Finally, Google plans to pilot a consulting program for five rural health systems, focusing on developing refined security technologies and services tailored to their needs. Interested parties can contact rural-health@google.com for more information or to participate in these programs.
The federal government is taking action to support healthcare cybersecurity through initiatives like the Department of Health and Human Services’ cybersecurity gateway website, which offers guidance and best practices. Additionally, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is investing over $50 million to develop tools for patching software vulnerabilities in healthcare systems.
Members with questions may contact Lauren LaPine at the MHA.