In today's healthcare landscape, technology plays a crucial role in patient care. However, fragmentation and integration issues - combined with growing cybersecurity threats - pose significant challenges for healthcare providers and technology developers alike. As healthcare data becomes increasingly digital, protecting sensitive patient information is not just crucial but can serve as a business advantage.

Supported by MSB and NCC-SE, Leyr recently held a webinar on how to leverage information security for business growth. You can see the webinar in full here - a summary of the main takeaways are listed below.

Building Trust and Security

Trust and security are crucial for healthcare technology to succeed, which can be especially challenging for a newly established company. At Leyr, we have built credibility through various frameworks:

• Combining management systems for both quality and information security; including ISO 27001 and ISO 9001

• Regular security testing including penetration tests (with funding from MSB and NCC-SE)

• Creating an asset inventory and conducting risk analysis

• Making regulatory compliance an important part of our business strategy

By using existing frameworks and adapting them to our way of working as a fast evolving startup we have managed to find an efficient way to develop our product in both a secure and fast manner. At the same time, we notice how we can close deals faster because we are ready to be scrutinized by potential customers who, as we, care deeply about keeping health data safe.

The Importance of Cybersecurity in Healthcare

Even though some regulations and requirements might not directly affect small startups, they are likely to be indirectly affected as subcontractors to larger companies, authorities or healthcare providers. These are some of the security measures often deemed critical to have in place:

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• Comprehensive logging

• Vulnerability scanning

• Device control

• Network security and firewalls

• Regular patching

• Strong security culture—with phishing attacks being the top threat in 2024

Upcoming Regulatory Changes

Healthcare technology providers also need to prepare for new cybersecurity regulations:

• NIS2 - Cybersecurity Law (expected fall 2025): Requires control of the entire supply chain and risk-based approaches

• Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) (December 2024 with 3-year adaptation period): Requires prompt vulnerability patching and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

Getting Started with Cybersecurity

For small and medium enterprises looking to improve their cybersecurity posture, it’s recommended to start the information security work with self-assessment tools like:

• säkerhetskollen.se/foretag/sjalvskattning

• disa.msb.se

Conclusion

As healthcare continues to digitalise, addressing integration challenges while maintaining the highest security standards will be crucial for improving patient care, enhancing provider efficiency, and advancing medical research. We are working hard at Leyr to bridge these gaps and create a more secure and connected healthcare ecosystem.