Siemens Healthineers Drives Innovation and Mitigates Healthcare Cyber Risk with AI and Zscaler

Our purpose at Siemens Healthineers is to pioneer healthcare breakthroughs for everyone, everywhere and do so in a sustainable way. Because technology is continually evolving, it is crucial that we incorporate new technologies into our business processes and make sure that users understand and adopt the innovations that drive our success.

We are a global provider of healthcare equipment, solutions and services, with activities in more than 180 countries and direct representation in more than 70. As a leading medical technology company, we are committed to improving access to healthcare for underserved communities worldwide and strive to overcome the most threatening diseases. The company is principally active in the areas of imaging, diagnostics, cancer care, and minimally invasive therapies, augmented by digital technology and AI.

IT drives business

Siemens Healthineers is operating in a dynamic market, and, as such, IT has become an important enabler of our business. The spin-off from Siemens gave us the opportunity to revisit our IT landscape. To us, the Zscaler platform offered great potential in providing secure and faster access to applications across our organization during the transition period, with minimal IT hardware and infrastructure requirements. Deploying the Zscaler platform enabled our users to be productive sooner and collaborate across these entities for a seamless transition.

Siemens Healthineers acquired the U.S.-based cancer specialist Varian to advance our healthcare breakthroughs, particularly in the area of digitized end-to-end oncology care. To realize the vast potential of our combined capabilities, we integrated the two companies’ IT systems quickly after the completion of the M&A. Zscaler played one of the key roles in this process. With Zscaler, we didn't have to wait for that integration to be completed in order to provide secure access to resources or to start blocking cyberthreats. From the start, the Zscaler Zero Trust Exchange helped users in R&D, sales, and service access key applications in days rather than months. In fact, our IT group became a business driver, playing a pivotal role in realizing the company’s business strategies. 

More than 20 years of AI expertise

Transforming data into knowledge for better care has been a core element of Siemens Healthineers since the 1990s, with machine learning and AI at the forefront of our innovations. We currently have 1,100 patent families, with 550 in deep learning and more than 80 AI-powered offerings. 

Our unique combination of strengths sets us apart and enables us to actively shape the transformation of healthcare, in particular in these areas:

• Patient twinning: We expand precision medicine with utmost personalization of diagnosis, therapy selection, aftercare, and managing health. This helps us understand the patient as completely as possible.
• Precision therapy: We address the most prevalent diseases with intelligent, image-guided treatment.
• Digital data and AI: We drive digitalization by leveraging digital, data, and AI and by advancing providers’ operations with technology-enabled services. 

Cybersecurity helps our business react faster

Just as the use of AI applies to our healthcare solutions and practices, it also applies to our approach to cybersecurity. Escalating cybersecurity threats are a constant concern for the healthcare sector because they can disrupt operations, compromise patient data, and potentially endanger lives. We understand how important robust cybersecurity measures are to protect our business, empower innovation, and support our users. 

The Zscaler platform’s cutting-edge AI threat protection capabilities are a major part of our digital transformation. The AI-powered Zscaler platform detects threats, identifies malware, and warns of anomalies in our traffic. These capabilities, along with its zero trust architecture, help ensure secure access to our inhouse and third-party applications for our internal users, regardless of where they work.

Safeguarding patient data and well-being

Protecting highly confidential patient information is another top priority. Stringent security measures prevent breaches and preserve patient privacy by following regional healthcare laws and regulations, such as HIPAA in the U.S. and GDPR in Europe.

By partnering with Zscaler, we have implemented a multi-faceted, agile cybersecurity strategy consisting of the cloud-native Zero Trust Exchange platform, which grants secure access to applications and data according to user identity and context.

How Zscaler fortifies our cybersecurity infrastructure

Our partnership with Zscaler has delivered significant benefits in multiple areas. Zscaler enables secure and efficient remote work, enhancing collaboration and productivity for our teams. Zscaler also simplifies network management and streamlines IT operations. Furthermore, the platform’s zero trust methodology and AI-driven security strengthen our overall cybersecurity posture and lower risk.

Siemens Healthineers relies on these Zscaler solutions:

• Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA): We use ZIA to secure internet access for users, no matter where they are or what device they are using, by routing traffic through the Zscaler cloud security platform
• Zscaler Private Access (ZPA): With ZPA, we provide our users with secure access to internal applications without exposing them to the public internet, improving our security and reducing the attack surface

Stronger security and lower risk

Thanks to Zscaler, we have successfully mitigated security threats for our 70,000 licensed users. In just three months, we have blocked 2.55 billion policy violations and stopped 141 million threats. With Zscaler’s solutions, we significantly reduce security risks and protect patient data, operational technology, and intellectual property.

Continuous innovation builds our future

Looking ahead, Siemens Healthineers has many more applications for Zscaler and its advanced AI technology. When we deploy Zscaler in an always-on fashion, it will be continually active, eliminating manual security management by users so they can focus on patient care and business initiatives. 

A healthy partnership for us and our patients

The partnership between Siemens Healthineers and Zscaler defines proactive and innovative cybersecurity in healthcare. Zscaler’s cutting-edge AI capabilities empower us to anticipate, adapt to, and neutralize emerging threats in real time. By staying ahead of the evolving threat landscape, we safeguard our users so they can do their jobs more effectively and efficiently. 

Learn more

Follow the Siemens Healthineers cybersecurity transformation journey with Zscaler in this informative video, “Understanding Corporate Risks and Leveraging AI to Mitigate Cyberthreats.”