IT Essence

  W e’ve signed up for the “Plus” version of ChatGPT and thought it would be interesting to see if the response to this prompt is different from five weeks ago. Our prompt to ChatGPT Pro : (Regenerate the response to the original prompt of Jan 12) “ what is the best way to manage my online subscriptions ” The Response : Managing your online subscriptions can help you keep your finances organized and avoid unwanted charges. Here are some tips for managing your online subscriptions: 1.      Keep track of your subscriptions: Make a list of all your subscriptions, including the name of the service, the date you signed up, the amount you pay, and the renewal date. 2.      Review your subscriptions regularly: Review your list of subscriptions regularly, at least once every few months, to see if you are still using each service and if it is worth the cost. 3.      Cancel unused subscriptions: If you find a subscription ...

Now  This week I listened in on a panel discussion on “Cybersecurity and Canadian Health Care”. A couple of decades ago I had the privilege of leading the IT teams for three hospitals that sadly now seem to be the latest victims of a serious cyber attack . So I have a perspective in this subject. Organized by the Globe and Mail and CIRA – the Canadian Internet Registration Authority -  you can see background at https://www.cira.ca/blog/cybersecurity/healthcare-cyberthreats . The panel made good points around funding, planning, core competencies, and Board and Province level responsibility for cyber risk management. However, I think they missed (or maybe glossed over) a key root cause of health system vulnerability – complexity, fragmentation, and the lack of a big picture viewpoint . A comparison to the private sector might shed some light on what I’m talking about … Then Prior to joining the healthcare sector I was Corporate IT Director for a small international high-te...