Enhancing User Experience and Security in Health Care With Scalable Solutions and Cloud-First Transformation

Featuring Faisal Pandit, VP & GM, Johnson Controls Security Products

Faisal Pandit, VP and GM at Johnson Controls Security Products, discusses the importance of scalability, cloud-first transformation, and cybersecurity tactics in improving user experience and security in health care settings.

Please share your name, title, and a brief overview of your professional history. 

Pandit: My name is Faisal Pandit, and I currently serve as VP and GM for Johnson Controls Security Products. In my role at Johnson Controls, we focus on providing predictive and preventive autonomous security solutions that help keep our communities safe. Before joining Johnson Controls in 2023, I served in several leadership positions at Panasonic. Over my 30 years working in the technology industry, I’ve served both B2B and B2C markets including industrial automation and retail technology. 

Can you explain the importance of scalability in product offerings in the context of improving user experience in health care settings?

Pandit: Health care facilities and leaders must demonstrate resiliency, especially during surges and periods with high patient volume. The first step to doing this is implementing scalable solutions to meet and exceed user experiences that rapidly adapt to unforeseen challenges. Consider the example of the global COVID-19 pandemic, a period that led to unprecedented patient volume across health care facilities. During this time, scalable systems enabled leaders to adapt to the influx of periods of activity. Having these systems in place allowed for safer environments for patients during uncertain periods, which had a direct impact on patient experience. 
We may also want to mention the opportunity to standardize across multiple facilities within a health care system or network, allowing for mobility of personnel and other efficiencies through common systems and platforms.

The key to effective, scalable solutions is the integration of emerging technologies like AI and cloud capabilities that directly correlate to delivering high-quality patient care. To truly succeed, health care facilities must embrace these systems and technologies that support proactive measures to maintain the security ecosystem. 

Describe the scalability of product offerings important to consider when making health care more user friendly? 

Pandit: The key to making health care more user-friendly lies within the transition to smart buildings, which can make facilities more user-friendly and efficient. Smart buildings offer a comprehensive approach to health care through interconnected systems that deliver real-time data and insights. The first step health care systems must take to enable these systems is to develop a roadmap that is specifically tailored to the individual facility and ensure solutions are personalized to the needs of patients, systems, and employees at the facility. Once this roadmap is developed and implemented, these facilities will see an increase in the effectiveness of their existing security systems and an increase in patient satisfaction. 

This integration allows for better patient engagement, streamlined operations, and more effective resource management. The data generated by these systems provides valuable insights into the facility and potential security gaps or inefficiencies, thus enabling security teams to make smarter, data-driven decisions. For example, in times of increased patient volume, systems monitoring lesser-used entrances and exits can detect and monitor increased foot traffic and alert security teams to potential threats just as effectively as they would in moments of decreased patient volume.

By implementing scalable solutions, facilities can reduce redundancy and inefficiencies that ensure staff, visitor, and patient comfort. Increased data generated by these systems will allow for more informed decision-making that improves overall strategies. 

Can you provide some examples of mitigation tactics that can identify cybersecurity threats and provide solutions for health systems? 

Pandit: Cybersecurity complications continue to pose a significant challenge to health care leaders and tend to have a direct impact on patients. Cyberattacks are multidimensional, yet most health care security teams lack visibility into the changing threat landscape, as evidenced by some of the bigger health care security breaches we’ve seen just this year. The implementation of access control systems can combat these threats by enabling better control over networks and systems that are only accessible to authorized personnel – which reduces the risk of unwanted access to sensitive data. The deployment of access control systems, surveillance systems, and security personnel is an important tactic for facilities and can prevent unauthorized access that could correlate to cyber threats while improving the protocols in place to respond to a potential threat before it happens.

Health care facilities frequently face malware attacks on machines that can lead to the complication of sensitive data being stolen.  To best avoid complications and long-term impacts, health systems and facilities must have robust security measures to prevent these threats. 

To ensure a quick response to physical facility and cyber threats, health care security teams must be equipped with the right systems to better detect and respond to threats. Facilities that are equipped with integrated security operations centers (SOCs) are better prepared to deal with the potential repercussions of the attacks.

What does cloud-first transformation mean in a health care context? 

Pandit: A cloud-first transformation in health care is the strategic shift of merging existing platforms and applications to a unified infrastructure within an organization or facility – ultimately, to improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and improve the patient experience. Health care leaders have prioritized migrating crucial data and operations to the cloud in part so they can manage data more securely. This transformation also enables a seamless integration of advanced technologies such as AI, data analytics, and IoT, which can help identify trends, predict patient outcomes, and personalize treatment plans, all of which contribute to more effective and efficient health care delivery.

How can cloud-first transformation improve business offerings such as operating costs and advancing secure access systems? 

Pandit: Cloud-first transformation helps businesses reduce operating costs by minimizing the need for expensive hardware and maintenance. The shift away from traditional IT infrastructure requires significant investment in servers, storage, and networking equipment, along with ongoing costs for power, cooling, and physical space. Migrating to the cloud can enable health care leaders to shift to a more flexible model, where they only pay for the resources they use – allowing for better cost management, especially during periods of fluctuating demand.

A cloud platform simply offers more scalable security management, allowing facilities and employees to enforce consistent security policies across their entire system. This centralized approach ensures a secure access system where only authorized users have access to sensitive data and information that helps facilities stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities. 

What is a key message you’d like to leave with our audience on these topics? 

Pandit: The health care market can often be oversaturated, making it challenging for these organizations to achieve sustainable growth. However, with smart solutions security systems can be more agile to adapt to ever-changing demands and challenges, allowing health care leaders to focus on achieving their business goals. This adaptability ensures continuous growth without causing significant disruption or complications for facilities, staff, and patients alike.

Overall, to strengthen security practices within health care facilities, leaders must focus on 3 critical pillars – automation, analytics, and intelligence. These areas create a more robust and responsive security framework, ensuring that their systems are not only efficient but also capable of adapting to emerging threats.