TL;DR: Healthcare IT teams face rising security risks, especially from outdated devices that create exploitable vulnerabilities. In this webinar recap, we break down how PDQ Connect gives admins the visibility, automation, and vulnerability-management tools they need to stay ahead of threats — without adding more work to their already packed day.
Healthcare IT security risks continue to rise due to outdated devices, slow patch cycles, and limited endpoint visibility. Most healthcare IT teams don’t need another reminder that the threat landscape is ugly right now ... but the numbers insist on reminding us anyway. Ransomware and data breaches all continue to climb, and healthcare remains one of the most targeted sectors because attackers know exactly what’s at stake: sensitive data, operational uptime, and patient trust.
That’s why our on-demand webinar digs into why keeping endpoints updated isn’t just table stakes anymore — it's frontline defense. The conversation with PDQ account executive Kalburt Dallof centers on one big question: How do already-stretched IT teams get ahead of vulnerabilities before they become incidents?
According to Kalburt, the answer starts with visibility, automation, and a toolset that doesn’t slow you down when every minute matters.
Keep healthcare systems secure with PDQ Connect
Watch our on-demand webinar to learn more about how PDQ Connect helps healthcare IT teams stay compliant and keep patient data protected.
Why is healthcare IT especially vulnerable to security threats?
Healthcare IT is especially vulnerable because outdated systems and limited device visibility create easy attack paths for ransomware and compliance failures. Unpatched vulnerabilities, unrestricted app installs and shadow IT, weak authentication policies, and limited visibility across sprawling fleets create too many openings for attackers and too few opportunities to catch issues early.
“I think these are pretty universal across the board,” Kalburt explains.
Two drivers make the pressure especially acute:
1. Outdated or inconsistent patching.
Delays in deploying updates, whether for Windows, third-party apps, or firmware, leave endpoints exposed longer than they should be.
2. Lack of visibility into vulnerabilities across the fleet.
As Kalburt puts it, “Getting that visibility is always key for an IT team.” You need to know what’s going on with your devices at any given time.
Because attackers often rely on publicly known vulnerabilities, even a single outdated machine can become a foothold. And for healthcare organizations dealing with compliance requirements, the stakes climb even higher.
How does proactive endpoint management reduce security risk?
Proactive endpoint management reduces security risk by giving IT teams centralized visibility, fast patch deployment, and rapid remediation of known vulnerabilities:
Centralized visibility: Know which devices exist, which apps they run, and where the vulnerabilities live.
Rapid deployment: Push patches, updates, and scripts quickly — something many teams struggle to achieve with tools like Intune alone.
Actionable vulnerability data: Don’t just know what’s wrong; be able to fix it.
According to Kalburt, “It's really helpful with PDQ Connect to be able to see the vulnerabilities you have, see software that's out of date, and then be able to remediate and patch that quickly — and get instant feedback that you're keeping your environment patched and secured."
Centralize your endpoint management
With PDQ Connect, gain real-time visibility, deploy software, remediate vulnerabilities, schedule reports, automate maintenance tasks, and access remote devices from one easy-to-use platform.
A closer look at PDQ Connect: Built for busy IT teams
PDQ Connect is a cloud-based endpoint management tool that gives healthcare IT teams centralized visibility, remote access, automated patching, and vulnerability management. PDQ Connect is built as a cloud-based console backed by a lightweight agent installed on each device. Once that agent is deployed, the real visibility begins.
Clicking into any device gives you a complete snapshot: OS version, reboot status, model information, deployments, logs, and even built-in remote desktop. Yes, a full remote desktop solution. And yes, it supports UAC prompts, multi-monitor setups, and file transfers.
“This is really handy if you don't have something in place,” says Kalburt. “Or a lot of customers have something, and they are able to replace it through a Connect remote desktop.”
But the heart of Connect isn’t just device details — it’s how the platform uses that data to drive automation.
Smart groups turn chaos into clarity
One standout feature is prebuilt dynamic groups. When a team starts a Connect trial, they select the software and OS versions in their environment. Connect then automatically generates groups like Chrome – Old, 7-Zip – Latest, or Windows 10 – Not Installed.
This alone solves one of IT’s persistent headaches: discovering outdated apps before they’re exploited.
For example, if all eight machines running Adobe Reader are outdated, that group lights up instantly. From there, a single click deploys the updated package. No hunting, no inventory spreadsheets, no surprises.
And because PDQ maintains a massive library of prebuilt packages, deployment is immediate. But of course, organizations can also create their own custom packages.
Automation for predictable patching
Automation in PDQ Connect allows healthcare IT teams to trigger updates, schedule recurring deployments, and streamline patching without manual effort.
Kalburt gives a knowing nod to every admin who sighed at the thought of Chrome’s relentless update cadence.
“With Chrome, we know that gets a new version every 4 hours, it feels like,” he jokes.
That’s where automation earns its keep.
Connect allows teams to:
Trigger deployments automatically when devices enter a group (like Chrome – Old).
Schedule recurring deployments — say, every Friday at 5 p.m.
Combine multiple targets (outdated vs. not installed).
Automate OS cumulative updates and general Windows update routines.
For many organizations, this becomes the backbone of a predictable, low-friction patch cycle.
Vulnerability management is a game changer
PDQ Connect’s vulnerability management feature identifies CVEs across devices and lets teams remediate issues immediately with built-in packages. If patching is the foundation, vulnerability management is the reinforcement.
Premium-tier customers gain a vulnerability dashboard that surfaces CVEs found across endpoints — regardless of whether PDQ installed the underlying software.
This matters, because knowing something is outdated is one thing; knowing it’s vulnerable is actionable.
“If [an endpoint] gets an old version [of a software], that's not the end of the world,” Kalburt explains. “But if that old version introduces a vulnerability, that's where we got problems.”
From the vulnerability view, admins can:
See every affected device
Read severity scores and descriptions
Deploy a fix immediately with PDQ’s prebuilt package
Generate an automation that remediates the issue whenever it appears again
It’s the difference between finding issues during a breach investigation and fixing them the morning they appear.
Reporting built for people who don’t want to build reports
PDQ Connect reporting lets teams build custom device reports and automate recurring email summaries for audits and compliance.
PDQ Connect’s reporting is fully customizable but designed to be painless. Need disk space visibility? Filter for devices below 20% free space. Need a server health overview? Build it once and schedule it to email every Monday at 9 a.m. — to yourself or your boss.
For teams juggling audits and compliance, this alone can save hours.
PDQ Deploy & Inventory vs. PDQ Connect
PDQ Deploy & Inventory is a strong option for on-prem environments, while PDQ Connect provides cloud-based management, role-based access, remote desktop, and vulnerability management.
According to Kalburt:
Many customers fully migrate because feature parity is now very high.
PDQ provides a migration tool to bring over packages and collections.
Some customers keep both products if they want servers on-prem and workstations in the cloud.
Connect offers role-based access, multitenancy, and per-device pricing — advantages Deploy & Inventory can’t match.
And because Connect is gaining integrations, such as Freshservice/Freshdesk, the cloud path is looking more and more appealing.
The bottom line: A calmer, more secure IT environment
As the session wrapped, the message was clear: Healthcare IT doesn’t need more fear, uncertainty, or dashboards screaming in red. It needs tools that make visibility easy, patching automatic, and vulnerability management actionable.
As Kalburt sums up, “Our main goal is to help you feel confident in what you’re doing out there.”
And for teams carrying the weight of patient data, compliance mandates, and ever-growing fleets, confidence is more than nice to have ... it’s essential.
Try PDQ Connect for free and see how good IT confidence feels.
