With the advent of the digital age, it’s become more important than ever to place heightened security measures on medical data. HIPAA has been in place for quite some time now, but when the laws were enacted, Internet and cloud security wasn’t much a concern. Patient’s private medical information is still just as protected under HIPAA digitally as it was when medical records were more prominently kept on paper, so it’s more important than ever to protect this data.
For the past several weeks, we’ve been discussing how to be at one with HIPAA compliance, while still taking advantage of cloud computing and storage, to also maximize efficiency with regard to how these records are stored. Let’s take a quick look back at what has been previously discussed:
It’s best to inventory protected health information (PHI) before even selecting a cloud provider. Get with your IT staff and decide exactly what this data is, what it relates to, and how it has been kept thus far before moving forward.
Arm yourself with a strong BA (Business Association) agreement before entertaining the thought of using cloud storage. Know the laws, and also make sure that your prospective company knows the laws.
Crack down on your own security, and carefully research where you are moving your data. When selecting a provider, interview them as if you were hiring a prospective employee. Run a background check, if necessary.
And finally, this week, we finish off with protecting mobile data. In lieu of locking down employee’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, choose a provider that knows the holes that are in mobile data. Internal security is a huge factor when it comes to protecting private information, and employees can easily unwillingly share precious data across networks. This still boils down to finding a cloud provider you can trust.
When you need data, business, and IT services that go above and beyond, look toward a company like Biztek Solutions, Inc. With all of your needs in mind, we protect your data with the highest level of security possible. To find out more about cloud storage or any other service we provide in Riverside, give Biztek Solutions a call today at (800)353-5430 to speak with a member of our staff.
