Healthcare Apps and the Need for Security

One of the most exciting areas in tech right now promises to be “the most personal” ever. A key aspect of making wearable devices like the Apple Watch personal is through health and fitness apps. Few things are more personal than health and healthcare, meaning that privacy and security must come to the fore. Keeping data and information safe is a key concern for healthcare companies and users alike.

All app development needs to factor in security and privacy. Healthcare is not alone in this regard, but these factors become even more critical:

Passwords – when you first think of app security, you probably think of passwords for an app that is running on a mobile device. This is important, not least because it helps provide a user with a sense of security. But in app development there are other aspects that are just as important.

Encryption – as Google and Facebook have already shown, encrypting data is now becoming “table stakes”. Even if third parties intercept the data, if it is encrypted, it is harder to access and much more secure. In addition, entering the wearable age means that data will need to be encrypted between devices themselves (e.g. Apple Watch to iPhone). Doing so is no easy feat and requires experience in both security protocols and app development.

Backend security – as well as securing the front end of an app, the backend is just as important. The flow of data between enterprise servers and devices needs to be factored into the development cycle. There are many points of weakness that you may be overlooking from the security of your data storage, your backend APIs to your analytics platform.   Every aspect of your backend security needs to probed and tested by genuine security experts.

Healthcare mobile app development needs to focus on security, privacy and user experience more so than almost any other industry. Selecting developers who have the expertise and experience at developing and testing secure, reliable mobile applications will make this process both faster and easier. Wearables are coming. And with them comes an increased interest in healthcare. Enterprises in this sector that want to stay ahead of the game need to develop secure mobile apps.

Check out our video on digital healthcare and wearable testing here or contact us for a consultation on security testing.