It wasn’t long ago that medical devices were isolated and unconnected, but the rise of IoT has brought real computing power to the network edge. Today, medical devices are transforming into interconnected, smart assistants with decision-making capabilities.
Any device in a medical setting must be designed with one core priority in mind: delivering patient care. Medical professionals need instant access to data from devices with minimal friction so they can focus on what they do best. But at the same time, any device holding sensitive medical records must be secure.
To balance these needs, security software for medical devices must be lightweight enough to maximize the performance of the device without overloading the processor, taxing battery life, or putting the user through cumbersome processes. It must be high-performing and reliable with great battery life, so the device is always ready and works every time it’s needed.
Recently, Microsoft and global technology services firm HCL Technologies teamed up to help solve the security challenge with a high-performance solution for medical devices. The result is a new reference architecture and platform for building secure medical devices and services based on HCL’s Connected Assets in Regulated Environment (CARE), Microsoft Defender for IoT, and Azure IoT.
By freeing medical device manufacturers from the need to build security solutions and cloud services, this new platform will enable them to focus on their own core mission and strengths, which are healthcare-related innovation and patient care, even as they build new, better, and more secure medical devices.