Video surveillance technology is now in the middle of the same transformation that revolutionized business telephones 15 years ago. Organizations are moving from old, inflexible analog camera systems to modern and agile IP-based digital video surveillance technology. At the same time, they’re shifting responsibility for these systems from facilities teams to IT groups who are more familiar with providing reliable and consistent digital services to other business units.

I have a unique perspective on healthcare cybersecurity, having spent the beginning of my professional career as a practicing nurse and later moving into cybersecurity consulting. That perspective helps me critically examine the security programs at the many hospitals, physicians and other provider offices that I visit as part of my CDW practice. During conversations with healthcare IT teams, I’ve identified three crucial best practices to protect patient information: vulnerability assessments, penetration tests and incident response playbooks.

Let’s explore each of these critical topics.

Endpoints are on the front lines of every cybersecurity program. Laptops, smartphones, tablets and other end-user devices travel around the world, connecting to a variety of networks with varying degrees of security control. These devices require strong protections to ensure that they don’t become compromised and serve as the launching point for a broader attack on an organization. Next-generation endpoint protection platforms provide the 24/7 control required to keep an organization’s diverse set of devices safe and secure.

Vulnerability scanning, penetration testing and red teaming each play a vital role in an organization’s security program. It’s important that technology leaders understand the different roles they play so they may combine them in the manner most effective for their organizations.

Planning plays a crucial role in the world of cybersecurity and IT. We’re the teams that our organizations depend on to react quickly when something goes wrong and to recover operations as rapidly as possible. In my conversations with IT leaders, I encourage them to think about this planning role from two important perspectives: incident response and disaster recovery.

The connected campus can have a number of benefits for colleges and universities, ranging from improved security to enhanced collaboration — and, of course, it can create a competitive edge in student and faculty recruitment. But to enable effective end-user solutions, institutions must first invest in the networking and data center infrastructure necessary to power them.

Colleges and universities looking to provide students and faculty with a robust connected-campus experience should explore the following infrastructure solutions and practices.