Go With an Offsite Data Storage Provider For Better Security
Hackers can wreak havoc on email users to healthcare providers and everyone in between. Recently, criminals who gained access to the data on 4.5 million patients did so after hacking a hospital group with more than 200 facilities throughout the country. Could offsite data storage have prevented this?
The hackers were able to steal names, Social Security numbers, telephone numbers, physical addresses and the dates of each patient’s birth. That’s basically everything a criminal needs to steal someone’s identity, and it’s a serious issue.
The attacks are often cases of corporate espionage and the attackers are sometimes operating overseas. In the case of the latest attack, which hit Community Health Systems, the hackers were from China and used high-end malware to gain access to the databases. Fortunately, they weren’t able to access medical histories or credit card data. Unfortunately, the hospital system could be sued due to the fact that the information is protected under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HIPAA became effective in 2005, and since then, there have been multiple occurrences where data became compromised, resulting in millions of dollars in fines. Whether it’s a lost laptop or a compromised server, data getting into the wrong hands is a costly situation, both in terms of fines and reputation.
Cases such as these beg the question: How can hospitals better protect the information they store on their patients? The answer, which is becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons aside from keeping data safe, is to use an offsite system.
Offsite data storage offers a way to keep data safe while also bringing business continuity solutions along with it. The best vendors use what’s referred to as “Level IV” datacenters, which are equipped with a number of safeguards, including physical security on site to keep the serves safe. Furthermore, layers of firewalls keep out all malicious malware, which means patient information is safe and there is no worry about being sued for HIPAA violations related to breached data.
For healthcare professionals working with medical imaging, offsite data storage offers advantages because it’s a way to archive images safely, but also gives them a way to access and share images without proprietary roadblocks that they often encounter with their on-site PACS. The right vendor can also make querying much easier than what many healthcare professionals currently experience with their outdated PACS.
OffSite Image Management, Inc. is a company that builds its reputation on safely managing images using the best datacenters to offer a 360-degree solution. We can take your images and store them in multiple Level IV centers throughout the country, making sure your data is always available, and always safe. Contact us today and let’s discuss your needs.