An Internet of Things expert from Travelers discusses equipment maintenance software, smart screens and IoT-linked cabinets. The global healthcare sector will spend nearly $270 billion on Internet of Things devices and services by 2023, according to P&S Market Research. But with the explosive growth of IoT in healthcare, there are plenty unintended consequences and risks some that few people are talking about.For example, equipment maintenance software can help prevent IoT-linked MRI machine outages but also opens up these machines to increased vulnerability to hackers, said Patty Nichols, medical technology practice lead and an IoT expert at Travelers”Any machine that is network connected has software that will periodically require updates,” said Nichols. “This maintenance is a major part of the software application development life cycle. However, the always-on nature of IoT makes patches and service releases particularly challenging because there is no concept of scheduled downtime; updates need to be applied when devices are in use.”Apps that can accommodate a real-time “push” service pack installation without compromising performance levels during the installation are best as hackers are quick to identify and exploit weaknesses in software, she added.All networks and databases require regular updates to patch vulnerabilities that cyber criminals can exploit to access data. However, not all businesses practice timely patch management, and poor vendor management can be to blame.

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