Wireless Network xxxxxxxxxxx Strayer University
CIS 341
Professor Kevin Jayne

My name is xxxxxxx from IT-Vets. Today we will go over the transfer of paper to electronic documentation. We will discuss the use of wireless technology and the risk that are involved. I will also provide ways to make sure we are as secure as we can be. I understand you are moving to electronic documentation due to a federal requirement. In 2004, President George Bush proposed a law that all medical documentation will be electronic by 2014. He stated “by computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reducing cost and improve care.” With this said it is better to act now and get you changed over instead of waiting till the last minute. First thing we will do is go over the plan of attack.
With any wireless network the first thing to think about is security. You don’t want just anyone in your network, especially with the sensitive information we will be housing on our network. One of the best ways to do this is to remain invisible. When you drive around with your phone and you have WiFi enable and you pickup signals all over, this is an example of broadcasting your signal. With only authorized users on this network, there is no need to publicly broadcast we have a wireless network. This to me is like a company broadcasting “come see if you can get into my network”. Without the carrot dangling in front of your company you will have less rabbits trying to nibble.
Another issue we must address is physical security of laptop and mobile devices. A month ago my friend found a flash drive on the floor in Wal-Mart. He took it home, plugged it in to his computer and had access to a local doctor’s files and financial records. He was able to view this thumb drive because there was no encryption set up on it. Items get miss placed all the time. The important thing is that once the item is found, information is encrypted and cannot be retrieved.
The best way I feel to allow authorized users to the network would be using a radius server. The will allow you to authenticate users via Active Directory. This means that a user must have a user account prior to access the network. For log on passwords we will enforce a strict policy which will force users to use a upper case, lower case, number, special character, and a minimum 8 digits long. Also users will be prompted to change their passwords every 90 days and immediately upon possible compromise of password to a client. With these factors in place and situational awareness with your doctors and nurses, the transition to paperless documentation will be a smooth one. Ensure passwords are not lying out in the open for patients to see. You can have the most secure network but with something as careless as leaving a password in the open can blow a hole right the wall.

References
Bindell, P. (2010, January 25). Electronic health records are required by 2014. Retrieved from http://www.theamericanchiropractor.com/more/item/4420-electronic-health-records-are-required-by-2014.html
Unknown, (2006, June 13). Securing your wireless network. Retrieved from http://www.practicallynetworked.com/support/wireless_secure.htm
Unknown, (2012, January 1). Providing security to wireless packet networks by using optimized security method. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/whitepapers/providing-security-to-wireless-packet-networks-by-using-optimized-security-method/32887175
Keston, G. (2010, June 1). Securing enterprise wireless access. Retrieved from http://www.faulkner.com.libdatab.strayer.edu/products/securitymgt/default.htm