Technology downtime is a healthcare crisis, not just an IT issue: Part 2

In Part 1, I shared what we heard loud and clear at HIMSS 2025: Outages are inevitable, and resilience is no longer just a data center concern.

Now, I want to talk about turning that urgency into action and share how CDW helps healthcare organizations prepare for these inevitabilities. Leaders and teams must be ready for everything from natural disasters and ransomware attacks to human error and vendor outages. That means not only preparing your technology but also real-world, clinician-driven planning that keeps care going when it matters most.

Defining the continuity challenge

A big part of what we do at CDW is help teams differentiate and prepare for both disaster recovery and business continuity. Here’s why:

• Disaster recovery is bringing systems back online as safely and quickly as possible.

• Business continuity is ensuring patient safety and business operations while they’re still down.

Healthcare IT News found that ransomware alone cost healthcare organizations an average of $1.9 million per day in downtime, totaling more than $21 billion over the past six years. When a cyberattack hits or a critical vendor goes offline, your teams must be prepared to operate efficiently when their digital tools are suddenly down for the count.

That’s where resilience really matters: at the bedside instead of in the server room.

CDW’s 4-base approach

We look at continued care resilience like running the bases in baseball — four critical steps to build a full, repeatable strategy.

• First Base: Assessment and Recommendations

It all starts onsite, working directly with clinical teams (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.) to discuss real-world scenarios.

We meet with front staff in their places of work and ask, “What would you do if you had no technology at all?”  We ask and observe. We discuss past outages, tools and training as well as downtime procedures and potential financial impact.

We don’t drop off a book to sit on a shelf, we leave behind an executable plan based on each department’s unique gaps.

• Second Base: Remediation

After having lived in the organization’s environment, interviewing frontline staff and developing recommendations for clinical care sustainability in the complete absence of technology, we then partner with the organization’s team to execute on those recommendations.

Some examples include focusing on workflow process and downtime form development, training, supplies and more to leave the organization with the assurance that it can provide care during extended IT downtime.

• Third Base: Simulation

Many organizations have downtime protocols, but they’re often buried in binders or disconnected from real operations.

With remediation activities completed, we then shift to working with various clinical and business areas, simulating a zero-technology scenario and reviewing success for providing care under those circumstances. We validate the remediation activities and ensure no further gaps remain.

• Home Plate: Real-life Validation, AKA “Semper Paratus”

With tabletop simulation exercises complete, we then turn our focus to working with organizations on taking entire teams offline for several days and validating the assessment, the recommendations, the remediation activities and the simulation exercise.

We ensure “Semper Paratus” (“Always Ready”) so your teams are prepared to provide care if some, most or even all of your technology systems are unavailable for extended downtime. That way, it’s second nature when it counts.

Don’t let downtime decide the standard of care

The most validating part of my HIMSS 2025 focus group was the engagement with every attendee. These weren’t passive observers. They were clinical and IT leaders sharing real concerns, asking tough questions and staying after to continue the conversation.

It reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time. If you want real resilience, everyone must be at the table. And I mean everyone. IT alone can’t carry this. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists and support staff all play a role.

And the urgency is growing. According to the HIPAA Journal, 67% of organizations experienced a ransomware attack in 2024, up from 60% the year before. That’s not a trend. It’s a warning.

Plan for the worst — deliver your best

The thinking and visionary solutions we saw at HIMSS 2025 are just the beginning, and I can’t wait to return to Las Vegas next year for HIMSS 2026.

Resilience in healthcare means building plans that are actually practiced, lived and ready at a moment’s notice. Because care shouldn’t pause, even when the systems do.

If now’s the time to strengthen your downtime preparedness, connect with your CDW account manager or visit CDW.com/healthcare.