healthAlliance has launched a Cyber Hero award to raise awareness about cyber security at the four Northern Region DHBs.

Timed to coincide with Cyber Smart Week,the new awards recognise and celebrate vigilant staff at Northland, Waitemata,Auckland and Counties Manukau DHBs for spotting and reporting phishing emails or other online scams.

“The health sector globally is increasingly becoming a target of hackers,” says healthAlliance Chief Information Security Officer Richard Harrison.

“Aside from having sophisticated security technology and sound processes, one of the best defences you can have is an educated, ‘cyber smart’ workforce that’s always on guard against any potential threats.”

A Cyber Hero has been selected from each ofthe four Northern DHBs that healthAlliance supports, as well as two from with in its own ranks.

They are all people who have identified suspicious online activity and spoken up about it. Their unsung actions have already helped ward off several potential cyber-attacks.

“While the focus of the campaign is on our customers in the DHBs and protecting them and their information, we have abroad workforce ourselves and we want to make sure our people are equipped with the knowledge they need to stay safe online too.” Harrison says.

The healthAlliance Cyber Hero campaign is helping to promote safe IT security practices among the 26,000 staff who work across the four Northern Region DHBs.

Along with other initiatives like training, simulation exercises,and regular communication, healthAlliance is working to build an army of‘cyber-soldiers’ across the region who are doing their best to keep themselves and their organisations safe online.

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Contact: healthAlliance Communications, [email protected]

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