Healthcare CIOs Juggle More Mobile Challenges

As mobile devices multiply in numbers and grow more sophisticated, healthcare CIOs are facing all kinds of new challenges in distributing information and keeping networks secure.

The "bring your own device," or BYOD, phenomenon in hospitals has created a networking problem for CIOs by driving up demand on wireless LANs and has kept security officers busy because it's difficult to control all the data that flows to hundreds or thousands of handheld computers and smartphones, according to Kenneth Kleinberg, a senior healthcare director for health consulting firm Advisory Board Co. Kleinberg spoke Friday to about 75 healthcare CIOs, IT security officers, and vendors at the research firm's membership meeting in Chicago.

Smartphones in particular are optimized to work on or at least coexist with Wi-Fi networks. But with the occasional older cell phone still in use, "dealing with WLAN interference may be costing you more than you realize," Kleinberg said...