We all know how crucial it is for clinical staff to access applications quickly and securely. Many healthcare organizations today are focused on centralizing their endpoint infrastructure through the adoption of Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and enterprise browser-based applications.

These organizations want easy access to essential applications without compromising security, productivity, or patient care quality. And they need more flexible and adaptable workflows as they transition applications like electronic health records (EHRs) to the cloud.

Effortless, secure, and convenient

Enter IGEL, Imprivata and Omnissa – partners in innovation, providing a robust solution designed specifically for healthcare environments.

By integrating IGEL OS with Imprivata through the IGEL Agent for Imprivata, healthcare organizations can utilize No Click Access^TM  to their Omnissa Horizon® desktops or apps. This streamlined authentication process leverages proximity card technology, allowing clinicians to access their virtual desktops and applications with a simple badge tap.

This integration not only helps to shorten login times but also bolsters compliance with important security regulations, like HIPAA and GDPR. As a result, healthcare professionals can spend more time focusing on patient care, which directly enhances service delivery and leads to better patient outcomes.

Moreover, the collaboration between IGEL, Imprivata, and Omnissa offers additional valuable benefits. By combining the Omnissa Horizon platform with IGEL OS, healthcare organizations can enhance workflow efficiency and security. This powerful combination facilitates rapid, secure access to patient data and clinical applications from any device, enabling seamless roaming clinical workflows essential in both inpatient and ambulatory services settings.

Safeguard data, improve efficiency, reduce complexity, and costs

Traditional methods of detection, assessment, and remediation are not effective. Instead, healthcare organizations must prioritize preventive security measures.

IGEL’s Preventive Security Model minimizes the risk of data breaches and supports Zero Trust initiatives by ensuring sensitive information is not stored on the endpoint. This isolation and centralized user profile management through Omnissa Horizon greatly enhances organizations’ security posture, which is crucial given today’s serious data breach concerns.

Furthermore, the lightweight and efficient nature of IGEL’s secure OS platform allows healthcare providers to utilize laptops, thin clients, and even zero clients without the burdensome overhead of traditional hardware.

This approach:

• Reduces the cost of clinical workstations by 50-75% while bolstering security. IGEL OS operates in a read-only format with a small footprint, minimizing the risks associated with endpoint management and reducing the need for multiple security agents.
• Removes complexities associated with endpoint management. With the IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS), managing these endpoints becomes a breeze, providing healthcare IT teams with the tools they need to oversee a large network of devices.

What’s next?

In today’s digital world, healthcare organizations have a wonderful opportunity to adopt solutions that not only fulfill their operational needs but also enrich the experiences for both patients and providers.

IGEL OS is built for SaaS, DaaS, VDI and enterprise browsers.  By partnering with IGEL, Imprivata, and Omnissa, your organization can simplify workflows, strengthen data security, and enhance the user experience for your clinical staff.

Are you looking to transform your healthcare organization’s approach to digital workspace access? Discover how IGEL and our ecosystem partners can help your team deliver outstanding patient care with efficiency and confidence.

Register today for our upcoming webinar with Imprivata and Omnissa. Your clinicians deserve quick and easy access to the resources they need—let us partner with you to make that a reality!

The post Compliance Without Compromise; Trusted No-Click Access for Securing Healthcare Workspaces appeared first on IGEL.

The public comment period closed on March 7, 2025, with more than 4,000 responses. As healthcare IT teams await the final ruling, now is the time to strengthen endpoint security strategies—not just for compliance, but to ensure operational resilience in an increasingly hostile threat landscape.

HIPAA’s Modernized Security Expectations

The proposed updates reflect the realities of today’s cyber environment and push healthcare providers, payers, and business associates toward more prescriptive security controls, including:

• 72-hour system restoration for impacted ePHI environments
• Mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
• Data encryption at rest and in transit
• Comprehensive security policy documentation
• Annual asset inventories and network mapping
• Ongoing risk analysis and incident response readiness

How IGEL Helps Healthcare Meet HIPAA Security Requirements

IGEL’s Preventative Security Model (PSM) supports Zero Trust architecture and goes beyond traditional antivirus or EDR approaches. Here’s how IGEL helps organizations stay secure and compliant with the proposed HIPAA Security Rule:

Final Thoughts

The proposed HIPAA Security Rule changes will require healthcare organizations to adopt more proactive, tech-forward endpoint strategies. IGEL’s secure OS and management ecosystem are purpose-built to meet these demands—minimizing cyber risk while optimizing cost and compliance.

Take Action Now
Ready to align your endpoint strategy with HIPAA’s proposed security rules?

Contact IGEL to explore how our solutions can future-proof your compliance, recovery, and security posture—without needing to replace your hardware.

The post Strengthening Cybersecurity in Healthcare appeared first on IGEL.

IGEL Preventative Security Model  & AWS Isolated Recovery Environment

The IGEL Preventative Security Model and AWS Isolated Recovery Environment combined form a multi-layered defense strategy that helps provide security from endpoint to cloud recovery. IGEL PSM ensures that endpoints remain a trusted, compliant, and non-persistent access point for AWS-hosted EHR environments, even in the face of sophisticated cyber threats.

• Read-Only OS: IGEL OS runs in a locked-down state, preventing malware installation, unauthorized software execution, and persistent threats. 

• No Local Data Storage: All data remains centralized within AWS IRE, eliminating the risk of endpoint data exposure due to device loss, theft, or compromise. 

• Trusted Boot Process: IGEL’s chain-of-trust architecture verifies the integrity of every OS component at boot time, ensuring the endpoint has not been tampered with. 

• Secure Application Execution: Only pre-approved applications and virtual workspace connections (ex: Amazon WorkSpaces, AppStream 2.0, or Microsoft Edge) are allowed, reducing potential attack vectors from rogue applications.
  
• Centralized Endpoint Management: IGEL Universal Management Suite (UMS) provides real-time policy enforcement, configuration lockdowns, and automated endpoint recovery, ensuring rapid response to security threats or environmental changes. 

 Securing Critical Workloads in the Cloud with AWS Isolated Recovery Environment

AWS IRE is a highly secure, logically separated recovery architecture designed to protect EHR workloads from ransomware, data corruption, and unauthorized access. 

• Logically Separated Data Storage: EHR workloads are stored in logically separated AWS accounts, ensuring isolation from the primary production environment. 

• Immutable Snapshots & Encryption: AWS Backup, AWS Snapshot Manager, and S3 Object Lock provide protected copies of EHR environments, preventing unauthorized modifications. 

• Automated Recovery Orchestration: AWS CloudFormation and AWS Lambda enable rapid, automated environment restoration with minimal manual intervention, reducing downtime during recovery. 

• Advanced Threat Detection & Monitoring: AWS GuardDuty, Security Hub, and IAM policies enforce continuous threat detection, anomaly monitoring, and strict access controls, ensuring only authorized recovery actions occur. 

• Zero Trust Access Control: AWS IRE leverages IAM policies, AWS Organizations, and AWS Control Tower to segment access permissions, restrict lateral movement, and enforce least-privilege principles. 

By combining IGEL’s endpoint security with AWS’s isolated, fully automated recovery environment, EHR customers achieve seamless, policy-driven access to their recovery systems while maintaining compliance with HIPAA, HITRUST, and NIST cybersecurity standards. 

IGEL and AWS IRE Strengthen Electronic Healthcare Record Security

• AWS Solution with Secure Endpoints: IGEL OS is part of a recovery architecture, ensuring secure, policy-driven endpoint access to EHR environments. 

• End-to-End Cyber Resilience: AWS IRE isolates EHR workloads, and IGEL ensures trusted access with a read-only, stateless OS. 
• Zero Trust and Compliance-Ready: Supports organization in meeting HIPAA, HITRUST, and NIST standards, securing healthcare operations from endpoint to cloud recovery. 
• Seamless Recovery Access: IGEL endpoints ensure clinicians and staff can instantly access AWS-hosted EHR environments in a disaster scenario. 

IGEL and AWS are delivering a fully validated, end-to-end IRE solution for EHR customers. By combining IGEL’s secure, policy-enforced endpoints with AWS’s isolated recovery architecture, healthcare organizations can achieve enhanced cyber resilience ensures , secure patient data, and maintain uninterrupted operations. 

Key Takeaways 

• Validated AWS IRE Solution: IGEL endpoints ensure compliant, trusted access to recovered EHR environments. 

• Seamless Disaster Recovery: Rapid failover with pre-configured, policy-enforced IGEL devices. 

• Zero Trust Security: Endpoint-to-cloud protection ensures resiliency against ransomware and cyberattacks. 

Would you like to explore how IGEL OS and AWS Isolated Recovery Environment can support your EHR security strategy?

Contact us today to learn more.

The post Enhance EHR with AWS Isolated Recovery Environment and IGEL appeared first on IGEL.

Security and compliance are critical for federal agencies and enterprises operating in highly regulated environments. As cyber threats evolve, organizations must adopt Zero Trust authentication strategies to safeguard sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access.

IGEL, a leader in endpoint security and management, has expanded its partnership with 90Meter, a leading USA-based smartcard software vendor, to enhance support for Zero Trust authentication and endpoint security within IGEL OS 12. This collaboration extends native support for the 90Meter PKCS#11 smart card library to now include NIPRNet, while also updating existing SIPRNet PKCS#11 support.  By integrating 90Meter’s PKCS#11 smartcard library, this collaboration delivers seamless and secure identity verification for Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) deployments and browser-based access.

The IGEL + 90Meter Solution: A Zero Trust Approach

The IGEL and 90Meter integration enables strong identity and credential access management (ICAM) by offering:

• Seamless Smartcard Authentication – Secure authentication for virtual desktops and applications using 90Meter’s PKCS#11 smartcard library.
• Zero Trust Endpoint Security – IGEL OS 12 operates under a Preventative Security Model (PSM), ensuring only verified and policy-controlled devices gain access.
• Regulatory Compliance – Meets DoD, NIST, and FIPS security standards for federal agencies and enterprises.
• Cross-Platform Compatibility – Supports Citrix, Omnissa Horizon, and Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) for multi-cloud and hybrid environments.
• Browser-Based Access – Enables secure authentication via Microsoft Edge, Chromium, and Firefox, ensuring flexible and user-friendly access.

Preventative Security Model: Fortifying Endpoints

IGEL OS 12 is designed with a Preventative Security Model (PSM) that enforces strict security controls, reducing the risk of cyber threats. Key security features include:

• Read-Only OS – Prevents malware installation and unauthorized modifications.
• No Local Data Storage – Ensures authentication credentials and sensitive information remain protected.
• Trusted Boot & Chain of Trust – Validates OS integrity at startup to prevent unauthorized changes.
• Centralized Security Management – IGEL’s Universal Management Suite (UMS) enforces security policies for controlled access to 90Meter-enabled VDI environments.

Key Benefits for Federal and Enterprise Environments

1. Enhanced Security & Compliance
   • Prevents unauthorized access with Zero Trust smartcard authentication.
   • Supports government-mandated security standards, including DoD, NIST, and FIPS.
   • Eliminates endpoint attack vectors with IGEL’s secure OS model.
2. Streamlined Authentication & User Experience
   • Simplifies smartcard-based authentication for virtual and browser-based applications.
   • Reduces authentication friction while maintaining robust security controls.
   • Provides a seamless user experience with flexible access options.
3. Scalability & Future-Proofing
   • Adapts to cloud, hybrid, and on-prem authentication models.
   • Supports multi-site authentication policies for enterprise-wide security.
   • Future-ready for evolving cybersecurity regulations.

Achieve Zero Trust Security with IGEL and 90Meter

The IGEL + 90Meter solution empowers federal agencies and enterprises to achieve secure, scalable, and compliant authentication. By integrating IGEL OS 12 with 90Meter’s PKCS#11 Library, organizations can strengthen Zero Trust security while ensuring seamless user access across virtual and browser-based platforms.

For organizations seeking to enhance endpoint security, IGEL and 90Meter provide a proven, policy-driven authentication framework tailored to today’s evolving cybersecurity landscape.

Learn more about IGEL and 90Meter’s Zero Trust authentication solution today.

Government | IGEL

Contact us to learn more usfedsales@igel.com 

The post Enhancing Zero Trust Authentication with IGEL and 90Meter for Federal and Enterprise Security appeared first on IGEL.

In recent years, the shift towards thin client endpoints in healthcare (and away from Windows) has been accelerated by many market factors with security being one of the most common (as healthcare has been a primary target for ransomware attacks), followed by a rapid acceleration towards the cloud.  Here are some of the top reasons IGEL has documented based on customer feedback.

With this shift towards a more secure endpoint operating system that is easier to manage and designed to optimize the end user experience, there has been growing customer demand to support additional Imprivata workflows on thin clients that were traditionally only available on Windows endpoint devices.  For example, in 2018, Imprivata released support for Citrix Virtual Apps on Linux.  In 2020, IGEL worked with Imprivata to add the “Single Application Kiosk” [often referred to as Epic Only] feature available as of IGEL OS 11.04.100 and higher.

At HIMSS 2022, IGEL is announcing official support for the Imprivata “Persistent App” feature available with the OneSign 7.8 Hotfix 1 release. For Imprivata and Epic customers, this is often referred to as the “Epic Multi-App” workflow, which has been the most widely deployed configuration on Windows shared kiosk workstations.  Specifically, OneSign 7.8 Hotfix 1, anticipated to be available in the next few weeks, will include an update to the Imprivata ProveID Embedded (PIE) agent to support this very popular workflow on IGEL OS-powered thin clients running version 11.06.120 or higher.

If you are attending the HIMSS22 conference in Orlando, Florida, please stop by the IGEL Ready Partner Pavilion – Booth # 5443 to see a live demo of this new feature.

For those not able to attend, here’s a short demo of the new Persistent App feature: How to provide secure endpoint, single sign on access in Healthcare

What is Persistent App and why is this important?

Persistent App is a “Fast User Switching” clinical workflow used on shared workstations where the main electronic medical record (EMR) application is delivered virtually via technologies like Citrix.  For HIPAA security compliance, access to the patient information in the EMR is restricted to authorized users (i.e. doctors, nurses) who must authenticate as themselves each time they use the application.  Imprivata has a long history of offering single sign-on into applications once a user has identified themselves via a primary authentication.  The primary authentication is tied to their company domain identity (ex: Active Directory) and made very convenient by using an ID badge or fingerprint.  This is often referred to as a “tap and go” experience.  The user taps their badge to access the computer, their identity is confirmed, and then their application credentials are automatically provided, and the user is logged into the application.

Shared workstations are widely used in healthcare settings where multiple users access the same machine at different times during the day while providing patient care.  To save time for the users when accessing the EMR, the Persistent App feature was developed to keep the virtually delivered Citrix app from being disconnected or closed while a different user is accessing the workstation.  Applications like Epic Hyperspace have an authentication API that Imprivata supports that is used to quickly switch users within the EMR as they authenticate to the Imprivata agent on the endpoint.  Here is a diagram of the workflow and how it will work on IGEL OS.

As healthcare customers continue to see the benefits of using a lightweight, more secure, easier to manage endpoint OS, they want to maintain this popular functionality while not sacrificing a great user experience for their healthcare workers.  IGEL OS has proven itself as a great option for healthcare organizations who benefit from massive cost savings by repurposing existing devices.

This popular functionality, now supported on IGEL OS, serves as yet another example of how Imprivata and IGEL constantly strive to deliver a better, more productive user experience within healthcare.  This strong level of technology integration will continue to serve our joint healthcare customers going forward with the common goal of always enabling clinicians and healthcare staff to achieve the best possible patient outcomes.

The post Further Enhancing Clinical Workflows with IGEL, Imprivata and Citrix appeared first on IGEL.