Basildon and Thurrock tightens security
- 7 October 2008
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has held a USB stick amnesty and implemented new software to comply with DH data security requirements.
The trust has installed Sophos Endpoint Security on all of its computers in order protect them from threats such as malware, hackers and data leakage. The trust has also had a USB stick amnesty, replacing all USB devices with officially sanctioned memory sticks.
Following the amnesty it implemented McAfee Endpoint Encryption software to lock-down all of its USB drives and assign user access rights, block unauthorised attempts to download data and encrypt all data downloaded.
“A well-secured IT network is vital within the NHS,” said Antony Barke, the trust’s senior technical engineer. “We need to be confident that we are protecting our data and our systems against all types of threats – be those internal or external.”
Barke said the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC), a regional centre based at Basildon, relies heavily on computer security to protect it from cyber attacks.
The trust has also deployed three Sophos WS1000 web security appliances to defend its corporate network against modern web attacks and productivity threats as well as two ES4000 email appliances.
Each email appliance will handle up to 80,000 messages per hour, with automated security updates and on-demand remote assistance. The devices will provide the trust’s email gateway with constant protection from email-borne threats, spam, phishing, and data leakage.
Barke said that control wasn’t initially part of the trust’s criteria, but merely a bonus. “We were more concerned about security he said. “But once we tried the Sophos solution we welcomed the additional control it gave us.”
The trust has deployed the software on its entire infrastructure, including all 2,500 user machines, 132 servers as well as the web and email gateway. This has resulted in reduced administration time and enabled 24/7 customer support,
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Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
