{"id":2973,"date":"2022-08-17T12:44:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-17T11:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.almacgroup.com\/clinical-technologies\/?p=2973"},"modified":"2024-06-05T17:06:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T16:06:02","slug":"secure-mobile-devices-used-in-clinical-trials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.almacgroup.com\/clinical-technologies\/blogs\/secure-mobile-devices-used-in-clinical-trials\/","title":{"rendered":"Barring the Electronic Door: How to Secure Mobile Devices Used in Clinical Trials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Richard Wzorek<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the foreseeable future, biopharmaceutical companies that do not allow those working on clinical trials to have mobile access to the systems and data they need will be at a competitive disadvantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Internal users, investigator sites, Clinical Research Organizations (CROs), central labs, and other vendors all have a growing expectation that they can access trial data and applications \u201cwhere they live,\u201d in other words, on their mobile devices. Indeed, worldwide usage trends and prospective productivity gains make a compelling case for moving in a mobile direction. However, some inherent security risks complicate the landscape significantly, and decision-makers should proceed with their eyes wide open. Here, we discuss the leading security risks to consider and offer recommendations on how to mitigate or avoid them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case for mobile access<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile devices are now ubiquitous, with their usage long since eclipsing that of desktop devices. The crossover happened in 2014, and the gap continues to widen in favor of mobile computing.1 What is more, over the past five years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of Internet users who rely exclusively on mobile devices.2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cisco Systems was forecasting that by 2019, about 24 exabytes (a billion gigabytes) of data will be transferred to and from mobile devices each month.3 To put this intangible number into perspective, consider that a single Exabyte could transmit 119 billion songs that would last for 906,000 years.4<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2012 and 2015 there has been double-digit growth in the number of clinical trials in most regions of the world. The Asia Pacific region has seen material clinical trial growth led by countries like China (71%), Japan (54%), and India (37%). This growth in clinical trial volume is from the region that is forecasted to have the most significant mobile data volume over the next five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the popularity of mobile devices, it is no wonder that those involved with clinical trials\u2014and most especially clinical investigators\u2014would prefer to have the information and tools that they need to do their jobs accessible on smartphones and tablets. For instance, it is much more efficient for investigators to be able to work with clinical trial tools that are embedded in their workflow for providing the standard of care than it is for them to have to switch systems and transport data from one device to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Healthcare institutions have captured the attention of cybercriminals for several reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n