Cybersecurity was a central focus at the Day Hospitals Australia Conference, where healthcare and technology leaders came together to address the ongoing challenge of protecting hospitals from cyber-attacks.
With cyber incidents continuing to affect organisations across Australia, the discussion reinforced a clear message: hospitals and healthcare providers need to take a proactive approach to securing their digital environments rather than reacting after incidents occur.
The Solutions for Cyber Security panel, sponsored and chaired by Tecnic Group, brought together experts from government, healthcare, and the IT sector to share practical insights and strategies for building stronger, more resilient systems.
A Collaborative Approach to Healthcare Cybersecurity
The session was chaired by Josh Paul, Managing Director of Tecnic Group, and included representatives from healthcare, government, and cybersecurity, including Serena King from the National Office of Cyber Security, Grant Lockwood from Virtus Health, Dwight Hellings from PSC Mediprotect, and Dr David Canty from the University of Melbourne.
Together, the panel addressed the need for healthcare organisations to prepare for and respond effectively to cyber threats. The discussion focused on prevention, incident management, compliance, and the increasing influence of artificial intelligence in modern cyber-attacks.
Key Themes from the Discussion
Understanding How Cyber-Attacks Happen
The panel explored how many cyber incidents begin with simple entry points such as deceptive emails or unpatched software. Serena King highlighted that understanding how attacks occur is a critical step in prevention. She encouraged healthcare organisations to keep systems up to date, regularly test response plans, and build cybersecurity awareness across all levels of staff.
AI-Driven Threats and Social Engineering
Dr David Canty explained how cybercriminals are using artificial intelligence to enhance social engineering techniques. AI enables attackers to create highly convincing phishing messages, imitate trusted communication styles, and exploit human behaviour with greater precision. These tactics make it increasingly difficult to distinguish legitimate messages from malicious ones.
Dr Canty noted that even experienced professionals can be misled when attackers leverage trust, curiosity, or fear. This reinforces the importance of ongoing education and vigilance alongside technical security controls.
The Importance of Governance and Compliance
Dwight Hellings from PSC Mediprotect discussed how governance, compliance, and structured risk management frameworks form the foundation of effective cybersecurity. Organisations that invest in planning, policy development, and preparation are better positioned to respond to incidents and recover with less disruption. A key takeaway was that preparation before an incident significantly improves outcomes afterwards.
Creating a Culture of Cyber Resilience
The panel agreed that technology alone cannot address cybersecurity challenges. Building resilience requires consistent training, accountability, and open communication across healthcare teams.
Simple but effective measures such as multi-factor authentication, regular data backups, and ongoing staff awareness training were highlighted as essential. Encouraging staff to report suspicious activity early and maintaining close collaboration between operational and IT teams helps prevent minor issues from escalating.
The discussion also covered the importance of data minimisation. Retaining unnecessary or outdated patient information increases exposure in the event of a breach. Reducing data volumes helps limit risk and simplifies security management.
Practical Steps for Healthcare Organisations
The panel outlined several actions healthcare organisations can apply:
- Developing and rehearsing incident response plans
- Regularly updating and patching systems
- Implementing multi-factor authentication for all users
- Encrypting and backing up data to support recovery
- Reviewing data retention policies to reduce exposure
- Aligning security practices with recognised governance frameworks
These steps support both technical protection and a shared sense of responsibility across organisations.
Tecnic Group’s Leadership in Cybersecurity
As sponsor and host of the panel, Tecnic Group demonstrated its ongoing commitment to improving cybersecurity awareness and resilience within the healthcare sector.
Since 2014, Tecnic has supported healthcare, defence, and enterprise organisations through managed IT services, cloud infrastructure, and tailored cybersecurity strategies. Led by Josh Paul, the company focuses on simplifying complex technology challenges and delivering practical, scalable security solutions.
By facilitating industry discussions on cybersecurity, Tecnic Group continues to position itself as a trusted partner for healthcare providers and decision-makers, helping organisations protect their systems while maintaining focus on patient care.
Tecnic Group’s Vision for Secure and Connected Healthcare
The conference reinforced that cybersecurity in healthcare is a shared responsibility, requiring collaboration between frontline staff, leadership teams, technology providers, and government agencies.
Tecnic Group remains committed to supporting a secure and connected healthcare ecosystem. Through partnerships, education, and ongoing innovation, Tecnic helps organisations protect their systems, people, and patients.
As digital technology continues to evolve, Tecnic’s goal remains clear: to make IT dependable, secure, and easy to understand, giving healthcare providers confidence in an increasingly digital environment.
