Cyber security – The challenge of our time

Published Article: Read the e-Tools Software article on cyber security in aged care. This was published in the ACCPA Aged Care Today magazine, Summer 2022 issue.

The challenge of our time

Cyber security is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t be

Recent cyberattacks targeting large corporate organisations have once again raised awareness that we are in an environment that in a large part goes unseen and is not often understood. It is not until the ‘proverbial hits the fan’ as it has of late, that attention is once again focused on the issue.

The cyber environment impacts all of us in significant ways, from our daily phone traffic, emails, texts, tweets, and even more damaging things like our bank accounts, Medicare and identity document details, which are tracked and stored in hundreds, if not thousands, of places.

I recall not so long ago, how the general community was in uproar over the idea that, at the time, the Australian Government wanted to introduce an ‘Australia Card’. No, never, we said, it would be a total breach of our privacy and rights. We would have nothing to do with it. That was in 1985.

How naive we were, all they wanted to store was basic information, most of which they already held in a dozen different departments.

Instead, by default, we opted for total and unmitigated disclosure of every aspect of our lives and then some, in any portal we can find, from online games to banking to travel and online purchases.

You can barely breathe these days without putting personal data into a myriad of applications and websites. The process invades our past, our present and our future, as well as everyone in our chain of contacts.

The management team at e-Tools Software decided over a year ago that there was a need to afford the appropriate protection for aged care and disability providers, a vast number of whom use e-Tools applications and services.

e-Tools Software embarked on an ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System accreditation journey. The process took approximately 12 months and considerable financial commitment, but we got there.

e-Tools Software is now certified. We demonstrate international-standard controls for data protection, to assure the integrity of our clients’ data. This is essential to provide the level of data security that the industry needs and is entitled to expect.

ISO certification is issued only to highly efficient organisations that prove they have a management system of an internationally certifiable standard and have a commitment to continuous improvement.

This protects our clients’ data and enhances our systems to allow e-Tools to further expand its security protections going forward.

Our commitment is an example of ‘walking the talk’. As a passionate industry leader, e-Tools is proud of this achievement, but the sole purpose is to provide our clients with the comfort that we are taking every step to ensure the best data security possible.

There are many steps that providers of aged community and disability services can undertake to further enhance data security, but any actions should include partnering with providers who themselves take data security seriously.
Together we can go a long way to combat this scourge, which frankly is data terrorism. These privacy breaches are destructive, dishonest and breed mistrust.

e-Tools will be communicating with its clients on a range of areas in which they can improve their data protection internally, as we do our best to provide the highest level of ongoing data security. Make sure your data protection partner is at the top of the game, too.

David Powis, Managing Director, e-Tools Software

You can also access the article on page 101 of the magazine – please see below.

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Please contact the e-Tools team if you’d like to know more.