Tangent Blog

Maintain Your Legacy Equipment Longer With Industrial Grade Computers

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 Michelle

It’s a big world out there, full of not only people — but competition. Each and every day, technology is advancing in all fields, with industrial fields being no exception. While it may be nice to think that one can always stay at the forefront of industrial technology, doing so would be extremely cost-prohibitive. That’s one of the main reasons why legacy equipment is so common in the industrial sector: new equipment can cost a small fortune while your legacy equipment hums away without issue. While using legacy equipment is common practice, there are cost-effective ways of “upgrading” this equipment and gaining the upper hand over competition in the process.

Optimize Readouts

Whether your legacy equipment is ten or twenty years old, industrial grade computers can serve as well overdue upgrade without breaking the bank. Older legacy equipment may not seem as though it can benefit from co-mingling with industrial grade computers, but this could not be further from the truth. Industrial grade computers, like the Tangent S Series can become a natural extension of legacy equipment. When hooked up to a video camera, the S Series industrial grade computer panel can serve as a remote access interface to perform readouts on equipment. If hooked up to sensors and other equipment, the S Series can be used to remotely control features of the legacy equipment from the comfort of an office. With sixteen gigabytes of RAM, the S Series can handle multiple video camera inputs at once, becoming a hub for viewing your legacy equipment.

Network Sensors

Speaking of hubs, creating a sensor network around your facility can help mitigate rising problems before they have a chance to affect production. Many forms of legacy equipment produced in the last twenty years have input/output ports in the form of ethernet ports. With an industrial grade computer like the Rugged Mini C from Tangent, these ethernet ports can be hijacked to turn the equipment into a makeshift sensor network. The Rugged Mini C can be customized to have up to eight ethernet ports compared to most commercial grade computer’s singular port. This allows the Mini C to read information from multiple legacy equipment at once, and with the proper IT magic, spoof a program to act as a brain for the equipment.

Customization Options

There’s no one size fits all solution to updating your legacy equipment. Many forms of updating legacy equipment amount to jury-rigging a customized solution for every situation. That’s why having a large selection of customization options for your industrial grade computers is so important, as these choices allow you to create custom solutions that are the best for each problem. Take the Rugged Mini E3 for instance, which is an industrial-grade computer that can be customized to have up to thirty two gigabytes of RAM, allowing it to run a plethora of programs simultaneously. Or the R14 Industrial Grade Computer tablet, which can serve as a mobile industrial-grade computer for workers who are constantly on the move. For every situation, there’s an industrial-grade computer that can be customized to thrive in.

Emergency Services Benefit From Medical Tablets

November 6, 2019March 13, 2024 Michelle

The fires ravaging California are a grim reminder that the world as we know it is changing, in part, due to climate change. According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, we can expect the acreage burned by wildfires to increase on a yearly basis as the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases. As these wildfires get bigger, so too does the medical threat they impose. From asthma to burns, wildfires can affect patient health in numerous ways. Keeping your hospital up to date with the latest medical tablets can help ensure that your hospital is ready for the mobile care needed when a fire erupts.

When a wildfire ignites, urgent care may be needed in multiple places at once. While the priority may be to always get patients to the hospital as quickly as possible, sometimes this is just not possible. Medical tablets help fill in the gap when larger medical computers are not available for use, such as in the field during an emergency. Like medical computers, medical tablets have features that better suit them for use around patients than typical commercial tablets. Medical tablets, like the M8 8-inch Medical Tablet from Tangent, are 60601-1 Medical Certified for use around patients and sensitive electronics. This makes them ideal for emergency situations, when the last thing emergency personnel should be worrying about is if their equipment is safe for use around patients.

Medical tablets can also aid your medical personnel, and emergency services, keep track of patient information to be uploaded once staff return to the hospital. Medical tablets like the T13 Medical Tablet from Tangent come equipped with both front and rear facing cameras, allowing emergency medical personnel to take pictures of patient injuries for use later. This feature is complemented by the T13’s anti-reflective screen, allowing for it to be used outside without eye strain. In addition, the T13 comes with hot-swap battery technology, allowing for it to be used around the clock without needing to sit out to charge. Medical staff can simply swap out a dead battery for a charged one, keeping the T13 ready at all times during an emergency.

Wide scale emergencies may sadly be a fact of life due to climate change. Being prepared to help the communities they serve should be at the top of every hospital’s priorities, and that means assisting victims of wildfires as soon as possible. Medical tablets allow medical personnel and emergency services the full use of medical computers on the go, and can help these forces better aid those in need.

Waterproof Computers – Tangent Waterproof Computers

October 31, 2019January 23, 2020 Michelle

Not every computer is created equal, and not every computer is able to handle the harsh environments present in the industrial setting. With oil production on the rise in the United States, keeping your refineries and drilling platforms operating is crucial to staying competitive. At Tangent, we have created a full line of waterproof computers, waterproof tablets, and waterproof monitors that are not only perfect for industrial use, but can withstand the wet environments found in oil production.

Tangent S Series 19" — Tangent S Series 19″

The IP rating scale is used to determine the ability of an enclosure to mitigate both dust and liquid intrusion. Dust and particle contamination resistance is listed on a scale of one to six, while liquid resistance is rated on a scale from one to nine. A typical IP rating combines the two numbers, with dust resistance first and water resistance following. Tangent waterproof computers like those found in the S Series sport an impressive IP69k rating, and are resistant to water bursts as well as dust intrusion. This allows the S Series waterproof computers to work in facilities where water or liquid messes are a fact of life. What’s more, the S Series can operate outdoors, and with standard VESA mounting can be fitted to nearly any wall surface. The all-in-one nature of the S Series means that no keyboard or mouse is required to use it, simply mount it and it is ready to go.

Mechanics and Engineers can’t be expected to sit in an airconditioned office all day, and neither should their computers. Waterproof tablets like the Tangent R14 offer workers the capabilities of their workstation on the move. With an IP65 rated enclosure and extreme operating temperature range, the R14 can accompany workers in nearly any environment whether that be on a floating platform or in the desert.

Every single one of Tangent’s waterproof computers features a touchscreen waterproof monitor that can be used by workers whether their hands are clean or dirty. Workers can have ease of mind knowing that their workflow does not have to be interrupted due to their hands being a little dirty. Tangent’s waterproof computers, like the VITA KW can be cleaned long after the job is done simply by wiping the screen. Their IP rated waterproof monitors allow them to be cleaned with traditional cleaning supplies, unlike finicky commercial monitors.

There are many ways to use waterproof computers, and not a single one of them is wrong. If you think that waterproof computers could benefit your workplace in ways that traditional computers cannot, you are more than welcome to contact our sales team at sales@tangent.com. We can help you determine how waterproof computers, waterproof tablets, and waterproof monitors can fit into your worksite in ways traditional computers simply cannot.

Will AI Replace Doctors In The Near Future?

October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 Michelle

Every day there seems to be a new artificial intelligence (AI) that can compare our faces to celebrities or swap faces with friends. But recently the New Yorker published a story about how AI could one day take over the news rooms, and the implications of such a feat. AI are becoming increasingly complex, as their capabilities and level of intelligence increase beyond mere entertainment value and into labor value. Given the upward trajectory of AI intelligence, could AI one day take over the medical field, replacing both doctors and medical grade PCs entirely?

Can AI Replace Doctors And Medical PCs?

To answer this question, we first have to take a look at what exactly an AI is. Large AI are typically programs on custom built PCs that unlike normal programs, are not created to perform input output operations, but rather to ‘think’ about operations to produce an output. This is how AI filters that can swap faces in real time work, by thinking about what a face is and how they should be swapped instead of merely copy and pasting two faces. Medical grade PCs, on the other hand, typically rely on traditional software for the role of computing power and use Doctors and other medical staff to do the thinking for them. This is where the potential for AI to replace Doctors creeps up, as in theory a sufficiently powerful AI could do the thinking of a Doctor and the operating of a medical grade PC.

Are AI more Developed Than Medical PCs?

While this may seem like a scary notion for medical personnel, the good news for them is that medical AI are not as developed as they are marketed as being. The most famous medical AI would have to be IBM’s Watson, which IBM touted as learning how to be the best AI doctor after it successfully displayed its thinking power by winning Jeopardy in 2011. However in the years since, IBM Watson’s delve into the medical field has been over ambitious. In reality, IBM Watson’s capabilities are more in line with being a useful AI powered tool that doctors can access on their medical PCs rather than a complete replacement.

One of the reasons for Watson’s failure stems not from the actual AI, but how it(and AI in general) are marketed. AI, despite popular conception, are not actually all that intelligent. In reality, AI are normally trained by teacher programs to pick up on pattern recognitions. They are rewarded or punished for picking answers, and over time learn to pick up on which answers are right. For instance, the AI filter for face swapping probably had to learn to recognize a face in still images, then in video before it even began learned how to swap them. AI like Watson are marketed as learning computers, implying an active learning approach, when it’s more as though they are taught computers.

Combining AI And Medical PCs

However, this isn’t to say that AI does not have a valuable place in the medical setting. Medical PCs with access to medical AI can be a great tool for doctors and medical personnel. Researchers from NYU School of Medicine and the NYU Center for Data Science performed a study on the ability of AI to add value to medical diagnoses made by radiologists. What they found was that AI could detect cancer related patterns that the doctors could not, but also that doctors would find patterns new to the AI. In this way, the study suggested that AI tools on medical PCs could help augment medical staff rather than replace them.

Medical PCs, Doctors, And AI Working Together

While it may seem like medical AI are the next step in the evolution of Medical pcs, it’s more fair to say that they are the next iteration of software for medical PCs. Large AI, like IBM Watson, are making headway in learning how to diagnose and recognize the patterns of symptoms, and this can directly benefit doctors in many ways. However, relying solely on AI to make these decisions is not reliable. Using AI powered tools on medical PCs is a solid middle ground for the current state of AI, allowing doctors to get second opinions on x-ray images and to make sure their mistakes are kept at a minimum. A combination of doctors, medical AI, and medical PCs can help keep your hospital at the cutting edge of technology while making sure that diagnoses are safe and accurate. Medical PCs from Tangent are are at the edge of medical PC technology, and can help your hospital prepare for the use of AI tools.

Medical Staff Love Medical Tablets

October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 Michelle

These days, it seems rare for groups to be able to find common ground, let alone fully agree on an issue. However, a recent study has shown that over 90% of medical staff comprised of individuals at various levels surveyed felt their institution should support tablet integration in their hospitals and clinics. The survey asked resident trainees, fellowship level trainees, and attending level physicians across various medical fields multiple questions regarding the use of medical tablets. One thing is certain: Medical staff want to use medical tablets, and they are ready.

Medical tablets, simply put, are computer tablets designed for use in the medical setting. They are touchscreen computers that run the ever familiar and easy to use Windows operating system. Medical tablets like the M8 Medical tablet from Tangent have a small form factor, and are as easy for medical staff to use as their own personal cell phones.

The biggest difference between medical tablets and commercial tablets is that medical tablets are designed to be 60601-1 certified for medical use. This allows them to be used in close proximity to both patients and medical equipment without worry. What’s more, medical tablets have an antimicrobial coating that mitigates the growth of bacteria on the tablet’s surfaces. This is extremely important for tablets used in the medical setting, as they are constantly changing hands throughout the day.

The study showed that even 90% of medical staff who did not own tablets at home felt as though their medical institution should have them. Medical tablets like the T13 from Tangent simply make the hospital work life easier and more efficient. With hot-swap batteries, the T13 does not need to sit out of commision while it charges, instead it can simply have its battery replaced and be ready to help patients in seconds.

With such a positive response to medical tablets, it’s a wonder why more medical institutions do not adopt them in their daily use. Medical tablets are a homerun with medical staff, and are just one way to increase morale around the hospital or clinic.

Which CPU is Right for Your Industrial PC?

October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 Michelle

One of the most, if not the most, important aspects to be aware of when purchasing industrial PCs is what processor chip, or CPU, the computer is equipped with. The CPU acts as the brain of the industrial PC, running both the operating system and programs present on the PC’s hard drive. Intel is a major manufacturer of processors, with many lines of CPUs such as I3, I5, and I7 lines. One major misconception when looking at processors is the assumption that an I7 CPU will be better than an I5, and an I5 will be better than an I3. While in some cases this is true, it is not a concrete fact and there are many factors that determine which CPU is the best for a given job.

Are I7 Chips The Best?

While it may seem as though I7 chips are the latest(and therefore best) chips on the market, in reality this is not the case. In fact, many I5 chips are just as fast, or faster than their i7 counterparts. This is because the real difference between I3, I5, and I7 chips is actually their architecture, how they are built and what they are built for. Intel updates these chip lines every year, so that every year there is both a new lineup of I5 and I7 chips for industrial PC manufacturers to choose from. For instance, Tangent’s Rugged Mini I rugged mini PC can be customized to have I3, I5, or I7 chip, but each of these chips would be from the Intel 6th generation of processors. Furthermore, the actual speed of processors, referred to as gigahertz, varies between the lines and it is not uncommon at all for higher model I5 processors to be faster than I7 processors.

So What’s The Difference?

One of the main differences between the chip lines is the amount of cache present on the chip. The cache present on a processor serves as a temporary storage area for data that the chip is currently thinking about. For instance, if you were working on a large spreadsheet, the areas of the spreadsheet you were not actively looking at may be stored in the cache for quicker access when you scroll over to that area.I7 chips typically come with a larger cache than I5 chips, and therefore can handle more data at a time. However, the amount of cache an industrial PC actually needs depends largely on the task that required of it. An industrial PC being used by an operator for logistics and spreadsheets may need an I7 chip’s cache size, but another industrial PC being used on an assembly line would do more than fine with an I5’s cache size. Keep this in mind when looking at industrial PCs like the Mini E3 from Tangent, which can fit an I7, I5, I3, or even intel’s lesser known and less power intensive celeron processor.

Where Would I Want An I7 Processor?

One thing that should be noted about I7 processors is that they are more equipped to handle larger tasks than their I5 and I3 counterparts. I7 processors can featured what is known as hyperthreading, which tricks programs into thinking that the processor has twice the amount of cores than it actually does. This significantly increases the speed of the processor, and therefore of the industrial PC over all. Consider the R14 Industrial Tablet from Tangent, which features an 8th generation I7 Kaby Lake processor. This on-the-go industrial tablet has two 4 core CPU options, with either a 6MB or 8MB cache. With hyperthreading, the R14 can operate as though it had 8 cores, and therefore increase the speed at which in handles programs greatly. This makes the R14 great for workers who use industrial programs that require heavy computing.

When Would I Want An I3 or I5 Processor?

While I7 processors have hyperthreading, I5 processors do not. However, they still typically sport 4 cores which is more than enough for the bulk of industrial applications. Take for instance the VITA KW Industrial Panel PC from Tangent, which is capable of sporting either an I3 or I5 processor. The VITA KW line is designed for situations where space may not be as readily available as in an office setting, and it’s all-in-one PC design lends itself to that. Having a full touchscreen and VESA mount, the VITA KW can be placed in situations where other PCs simply could not. With an I3 or I5 Processor, the VITA KW uses less power than an I7 unit, and allows it to be placed virtually anywhere.

The Right Chip For The Right Job

In the end, it is important to determine what an industrial PC’s role in the workplace will be before making the decision of what CPU to put into it. I3 and I5 chips can be just as fast, or faster than I7 chips while consuming less energy. I7 chips can utilize hyperthreading for certain tasks to speed them up. Keeping these things in mind when deciding on what industrial PC to purchase can help keep your workplace operating efficiently.

Preventing Doctor Burnout From Computer Usage

October 12, 2019October 12, 2019 Michelle

It’s no secret that the majority of doctors choose their profession because of one ideal: they truly want to help people. Being a doctor means meeting with patients face-to-face, listening to them, and comforting them. Sadly, in our digital age, people are increasingly becoming more and more isolated as screens take the place of people. This phenomenon has unfortunately spread to doctors, who are spending as much as twice the amount of time looking at screens as they do looking at patients. This can help lead to doctors suffering from occupational burnout, in which doctors may feel powerless or too stressed to work at optimal levels.

The World Health Organization has recognized occupation burnout as an actual medical condition, and taking the condition as seriously as they do can drastically help your hospital. A study by two Stanford researchers found that burnout costs the U.S. economy up to $190 billion dollars every year.

Better Access

This phenomenon is not unprecedented, as our technology advances so too does it’s complexity. As decision making on how medical computers are deployed and what software is on them shifts from doctors to management, it is important that doctor’s concerns are taken seriously and their input taken into consideration.

As doctors have to interact with multiple medical computers throughout the day, saving them the hassle of having to remember a litany of passwords may help ease their stress. Attempting to keep track of multiple passwords for separate medical computers, and then having to contact IT for a password reset can be a time intensive process that turns doctors off from using their medical computers as often as they need to. Medical computers like the Medix KW come equipped with both smart card readers and RFID readers, meaning that doctors can log into these medical computers in the blink of an eye.

Better Involvement

While it may seem like the IT department in charge of keeping your medical grade computers have little in common with the doctors using them, a strong relationship between these departments can go a long way. Making sure that the maintainers and users of medical grade computer systems are in touch can help communication of computer problems go much faster. After all, medical grade computers have a large amount of specialty software, and the quickly evolving landscape of digital medical care requires constant learning. Organize meetings between your IT department and medical staff regularly to ensure that all staff are on the same page about medical grade computer usage.

Better Usability

Doctors aren’t medical scribes, and their work hours shouldn’t be taken up trying to type on a keyboard hooked up to a medical grade computer. Touchscreen based medical grade computers can save doctors vast amounts of time, as their intuitive interface can be interacted with in the same way doctors use their own smartphones. These medical grade computers should have a strong antimicrobial coating, to ensure that use by multiple medical staff does not cause bacteria build up.

Don’t Give Up

Technology, and medical grade computers, aren’t going anywhere any time soon. While long periods of usage can cause medical grade computers to become a source of burnout, it doesn’t necessarily have to. Keeping your staff updated on how to use their medical grade computers can drastically help alleviate stress they may feel when using them. Updating your medical grade computers to ones with quality of life improvements such as smart card readers can also help. In the end, communication can make a huge difference in preventing occupational burnout.

Touchscreen Computers For Industrial Use

October 12, 2019October 12, 2019 Michelle

It almost seems counterintuitive to imagine touchscreen computers in an industrial workplace. Grime covered gloves or hands touching a computer screen seems like it would lead to more problems than it solves. But then again, is it any better that the same gloves or hands are touching a mouse and keyboard? The shocking reality is that touchscreen computers are not only a great choice for industrial use, but can be used widely in situations where normal computers can’t perform.

Protection From The Elements

Commercial grade computers are designed to be used at the desk, and don’t typically feature any design elements that would help them in an industrial environment. Industrial environments can be extremely hot or cold, dusty, or even wet— and all of these things can quickly cripple a commercial grade computer.

Vita KW Touchscreen Computer

Industrial touchscreen computers are designed from the ground up to be used in an industrial setting. Touchscreen computers like the Vita KW from Tangent sport features such as passive cooling systems that enable them to not only work under high temperatures, but to do so without faltering over time. These touchscreen computers do not have a fan-based cooling system like those used in commercial grade computers. In an industrial setting, a fan-based cooling system would quickly cause a massive dust build up within the enclosure of the computer. This drastically decreases performance, and in some cases can lead to the computer failing altogether. A solid enclosure ensures that dust build up is mitigated, and requires less maintenance over time.

While dust is a primary concern, it’s not the only thing to be worried about affecting your computer on the job site. Extreme temperatures are common in the industrial setting, and can prevent one from having a computer based workstation at a certain location. That is, unless you are using the F15 Touchscreen Computer from Tangent. The F15 features a fanless cooling system like the Vita KW, and can withstand extreme temperatures from -4°F to 140°F. On top of all of this, the F15 is IP65 rated to be completely sealed & protected against water and dirt intrusion in harsh environments.

VITA 474 Touchscreen Computer

Used Anywhere, Anytime.

Not only can Tangent’s lineup of industrial touchscreen computers be used in any environment, they are sleek enough to fit in any location as well. There may be a portion of your facility where you would like to have a workstation, but the area is simply not large enough to fit a desk, tower, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. That’s where touchscreen computers like the Vita 474 from Tangent can make the difference, easily mounting to a wall at any location and turning it into a full functioning workstation. The Vita 474 is powerful enough to run industrial software, sporting Intel 6th Gen Core i5 processor while being able to be mounted in any location.

For workers who are on the move constantly, there’s touchscreen computer tablets like the R10 Tablet from Tangent. These tablets are able to run industrial software and hook up directly to your factory or warehouse network. They allow workers to perform their duties while on the go, regardless of of their vicinity to a desk.

Touchscreen Computers: Industry’s Best Friend

Whether it’s a hot place, a tight place, a spacious place, touchscreen computers can turn them into optimal workstations. At Tangent, we make a wide variety of touchscreen computers that combined, make the perfect IT solution to your industrial needs.

Industrial Computers for Desert Applications

Industrial PCs For Desert Use

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 Michelle

There’s one environment that is seemingly designed to destroy computers from the inside out. Scorching heat that prevents CPUs from cooling down, kicked up sand that threatens to short circuit motherboards, and a cascading environment that can change in the blink of an eye. If you haven’t guessed it by now, I’m referring to the desert. Even though deserts constitute 33% of the entire world, our modern day computers struggle to operate for even a few hours in the conditions presented by them. This is unfortunate, as many industrial operations such as mining and oil extraction occur there. Luckily, Tangent’s Industrial PC Line features computers that can not only operate under the extreme conditions of the desert, but thrive in them.

Mini C3

Extreme Temperature Operation.

One of the main challenges of operating an industrial site in the desert is the wide range of temperatures one can expect. Freezing nights quickly turn into scorching days, and commercial computers simply cannot handle such variations on a daily basis. Industrial PCs like the Rugged Mini E3 from Tangent have extreme temperature operating ranges, being able to operate from -13°F to as hot as 158°F, easily meeting the demands of even the most perilous desert.

Mini C1

Sand Proof Casing

Sand presents a unique problem in the industrial sector, as it can quickly wear down equipment or otherwise pollute it. Sand presents an even greater threat to computers, being able to destroy a computer’s delicate innards simply by touching them in the wrong location. Traditional computers have fan-based cooling systems that are prone to sucking up and storing dust on the inside of the case; in the desert these computers would instead suck up sand and destroy themselves. Tangent’s rugged industrial PCs like the Rugged Mini C1 have passive, fanless cooling systems that keep the PC cool without letting dust or sand in. This allows them to work in the harsh desert without worry that their components will be damaged.

Mini Tank

Extreme Shock And Vibration Resistance

Industrial equipment is loud, it’s heavy, and it vibrates. Industrial PCs from Tangent are built just for this sort of working environment, and can be placed anywhere on the job site regardless of the equipment surrounding it. The Rugged Mini Tank is the goto example of Tangent’s engineering here, living up to its name. The Rugged Mini Tank has Military Grade vibration resistance, being able to withstand the rigors of military use with ease. This allows it a special use on industrial job sites, being able to perform in any scenario.

Rugged Mini Li Industrial Computer

Adaptable To Your Needs

No two jobs are the same, and every situation needs a unique solution. Tangent’s industrial PC lineup features PCs like the Rugged Mini L1, with a sleek form factor that can fit in practically any space. This 2 pound industrial PC is lightweight enough to be placed anywhere on the job site, and sleek enough to fit into even the smallest of crevices. Our Mini Industrial PCs can turn any space, regardless of size, into a workstation.

Keeping Your Hospital Safe From Hackers and Malware

October 8, 2019October 8, 2019 Michelle

Many of us seldom think about who—or what— is watching us as we browse the internet. Many websites make use of cookies, which are snippets of code that help keep track of data such as passwords or shopping cart items while you browse the site. While cookies are mostly harmless, similar technologies can be deployed to mine your personal data to gain access to your not only your personal, but work accounts. Keeping your and your staff’s personal data safe on hospital medical computers is crucial to preventing system-wide hacks that can lead to extortion, or worse.

How Do Hackers Infiltrate Medical Computer Networks?

While it’s fun to think of hackers as super-smart, leather trench coat wearing folks sitting behind multiple monitors smashing away at keyboards, the reality of hacking is that many hackers rely on their victim’s human errors. Phishing emails, short and easy-to-guess passwords, and outdated software can turn one medical computer on your network into a hacker’s playground.

Phishing emails are designed to appear as legitimate emails, often giving off the impression of being sent by a supervisor, IT, or even a friend. These emails typically give a long, contriving explanation as to why certain sensitive data needs to be sent to the phisher immediately. Users of medical computers who are not trained to detect such emails are lured into the false urgency of the email, and send off their personal information without thinking about who it is going to.
There are many misconceptions about passwords, namely that having difficult, complex passwords is the best way to protect your data. While complexity is a factor of how hard a password is for hackers to guess, it often leads to personnel forgetting their passwords to their medical computers and having to constantly reset them.
Outdated software on your medical computers constitutes one of the easiest backdoors that hackers have into your network. Outdated software is susceptible due to hackers having more time to figure out how to hack into the software, and being able to use the same method across multiple medical computers.

What Damage Can Hackers Do To Medical Computer Networks?

Simply put: it’s a hacker’s world, we’re just living in it. Charles Henderson, global head of IBM’s hacking unit X-Force Red, took to the stage at this year’s Blackhat cybersecurity conference and hacked an ATM, turning it into a cash dispenser in just a few minutes. If a computer exists, it can be hacked and likewise, your medical computers can be hacked. But it’s not just medical computers either, even pacemakers or insulin pumps can be hacked by nefarious folk.

While the prospect of patient’s life saving apparatus suddenly being disabled by deviants is justifiably terrifying, most hackers aren’t out to cause such chaos. Instead, they are after one thing: money. Hackers have taken to infiltrating hospital’s medical computer networks, and locking down all files until a ransom is paid. This ransom takes form in the form of untraceable bitcoin, allowing for the hackers to make a clean getaway without ever having set foot in your hospital. Hancock Health was forced to pay hackers $55,000 in 2018 in order to re-access their files that hackers had encrypted and held for ransom.

Preventing Medical Computer Hacking

It’s more than likely that your hospital would not like to pay hackers for access to your own medical computers. Preventing hackers from infiltrating your medical computer network is not as simple as we may like to think, but there are certain ways you can stay one step ahead of the dark web.

Hold Trainings

The easiest way to prevent medical grade computer breaches is to train your medical staff to recognize the various ways that they are constantly under cyber-attack. Medical grade computers are hot-beds for attacks from all angles such as phishing. There are multiple courses, as well as DIY seminars that can teach your staff how to recognize phishing emails, and how to handle them properly. Never ask your staff for any personal information via email, and inform them that any such requests will take place in person. The urgency suggested by phishing emails may cause staff to panic and forget to check who is sending them such emails, but if they know that supervisors would never ask for such information via email they can handle the situation properly.

Better Passwords

Complex passwords are a good way of keeping your medical grade computers safe, but they lead to confusion and wasted time by staff trying to remember their logins. Try having your medical staff use passphrases to login to their medical grade computers instead. Passphrases are simply long, easy to remember sentences that staff can use as a password for their medical grade computer that would take a hacker literal centuries to crack. An example would be using “thisismygreatpasswordthaticanremember” instead of “password”.

Update Medical Grade Computer Software

If you haven’t updated your medical grade computer’s software in a while, the best time is yesterday. Medical grade computers have to run many different software packages, and while it may be a pain to keep every single one updated, it is crucial to your medical grade computer’s integrity.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to keeping your medical grade computer network safe. Only a trained and aware medical staff can help keep hacking risks to a minimum. Medical grade computers are only as capable as their users, and keeping your users informed is the best practice.