Under a major deal with Microsoft, NHS Scotland will upgrade PCs to Windows 10 E5 subscription version of Windows 10 Enterprise with the Advanced Threat Protection security suite and let its staff access Office 365 on all the systems. This can help revolutionize healthcare system in the country.
Major Upgrade Windows 10 and Office 365 Upgrade for NHS Scotland Staff
As is well known, WannaCry ransomware attack is shocking and many organizations are affected. Among them, the NHS was crippled earlier this year by this cyber attack. This happened largely because the service hadn’t kept up with the latest versions of Microsoft’s programs.
NHS Scotland Will Upgrade PCs to Windows 10
Recently, NHS Scotland has signed an agreement with Microsoft and this organization is to move to Windows 10.
This move comes seven months after the UK Department of Health and Social came to terms with Microsoft that enabled all NHS organizations to use Windows 10 and strengthen cyber defense capabilities.
Staff will migrate their system to Windows 10 E5 Enterprise version that comes with Advanced Threat Protection security suite in an effort to help them to boost cyber resilience and protect against cyber attacks well.
According to Microsoft, this suite will allow staff to respond to cyber-attacks in near-real-time. And this is a priority for the health bodies in the UK.
It is reported that more than one-third of UK trusts were attacked by WannaCry last year, leading to the cancellation of 6,900 appointments and almost £100m cost service. NHS Scotland’s decision to upgrade to Windows 10 is an important step toward building a more secure and efficient healthcare system.
According to Cindy Rose, Chief Executive of Microsoft UK, by moving to Windows 10 E5, NHS Scotland can be using the most up to date versions of Microsoft’s operating system all the time.
Additionally, organizations can move to a more secure system since they will have a real-time view of any potential cyber threats, which would minimize the risk of any cyber attack across the entire organization.
The deadline for health agencies is January 14, 2020, and they should upgrade to Windows 10 before this date, the same date as support for Windows 7 is due to end.
Deploy Office 365 for NHS Scotland Staff
According to the agreement, all 161,000 NHS Scotland staff will also get access to Office 365. This will allow the support workers to GPS to hospital consultants to easily share data.
Jeane Freeman, Scotland’s Health Secretary says that they are creating the environment and tools to all staff & services to flourish but currently they are often hampered by systems that don’t join up or make collaboration easy.
Besides, he also explains that includes creating a new National Digital Platform and setting out “common standards and approaches for healthcare systems”. Like that, people can get the best care. And the fundamental building-block in that process is moving to Office 365.
Final Words
The deal between NHS Scotland and Microsoft will run for three years. Additionally, the organization has an option to extend its agreement for a further two years under similar terms.
Windows 10 is now beating Windows 7 and becoming the number one operating system. Before moving to Windows 10, we advise all organizations to back up their systems with the professional PC backup software, MiniTool ShadowMaker to avoid system update issues.
Meanwhile, to protect the PC against ransomware attack, creating a backup for the crucial important files should be done.