Protecting Patient Data and Clinical Operations
Securing healthcare environments where network downtime and data breaches directly threaten patient safety and care delivery.
The Challenge
Healthcare is now one of the most targeted sectors globally — and South African hospitals, clinics and medical groups are no exception. The convergence of connected medical devices, legacy clinical systems, and the high value of patient data creates a uniquely challenging security environment where the consequences of failure extend beyond financial loss to patient safety.
- ■ Connected Medical Devices (IoMT) — MRI scanners, infusion pumps, patient monitors and building management systems all connect to the network, often running unpatched firmware with no built-in security.
- ■ Ransomware Targeting Healthcare — Healthcare is disproportionately targeted because attackers know hospitals will pay to restore access to critical clinical systems.
- ■ Patient Data Protection — POPIA classifies health data as special personal information requiring enhanced safeguards. The National Health Act adds further obligations.
- ■ Legacy Systems — Clinical applications and medical devices that cannot be patched or replaced remain in production, creating persistent vulnerability windows.
- ■ Staff Turnover and Awareness — High staff turnover in healthcare creates constant gaps in security awareness. Phishing and social engineering remain primary attack vectors.
- ■ Clinical Availability — Hospital networks must be available 24/7/365. Security controls that impact clinical workflow or system availability are not acceptable.
Layer7's Healthcare Capabilities
We secure healthcare environments with technologies and processes designed for the unique constraints of clinical operations — where availability is non-negotiable and medical devices cannot simply be patched.
IoMT Security
Palo Alto IoT Security subscription for automated discovery, classification and risk assessment of connected medical devices. Visibility into every device on your clinical network — including those your IT team may not know about.
Medical Device Segmentation
Network micro-segmentation to isolate medical devices from general IT traffic and contain potential compromises. Purpose-built security policies for medical device communication patterns using Palo Alto NGFWs.
Ransomware Resilience
CrowdStrike Falcon endpoint protection across clinical workstations and servers. Ransomware-specific detection and prevention, combined with incident response retainer services for rapid containment when incidents occur.
Managed Firewall Services
Fully managed Palo Alto NGFW services for hospital and clinic networks. Policy management, threat prevention updates, log monitoring and change management — so your IT team can focus on clinical systems.
Compliance Frameworks We Support
POPIA (Health Data)
Health information is classified as special personal information under POPIA, requiring enhanced security measures and explicit consent for processing.
National Health Act
NHA provisions on confidentiality and protection of patient health records, including electronic health record security requirements.
HPCSA Guidelines
Health Professions Council of South Africa guidelines on the protection of patient information and ethical obligations for healthcare practitioners.
ISO 27799
Health informatics information security management standard — ISO 27001 applied specifically to the healthcare sector.
ISO 27001
International information security management standard providing the foundation for healthcare information security programmes.
King IV
Corporate governance requirements for private healthcare groups listed on the JSE, including cybersecurity risk oversight.
Healthcare Sector Solutions
Medical Device Network Segmentation
Purpose-built network segmentation for IoMT devices — isolating MRI scanners, infusion pumps, patient monitors and PACS systems from general network traffic while maintaining clinical workflow.
Clinical Network Availability
High-availability network architecture for hospital environments. Redundant firewalls, automated failover, and performance monitoring to ensure clinical systems remain accessible around the clock.
Ransomware Recovery Planning
Healthcare-specific business continuity and disaster recovery planning. Backup validation, recovery time testing, and incident response playbooks designed for clinical environments where downtime directly impacts patient care.
Healthcare Incident Response
Incident response retainer with healthcare-specific playbooks. Our team understands the unique pressures of a hospital environment — clinical operations continue during containment, and patient safety is always the priority.
Protect Your Patients and Your Operations
From medical device security to ransomware resilience — Layer7 delivers cybersecurity purpose-built for healthcare.
Secure Your Healthcare Environment