By Michael Brown 1

In this digital age, it is pivotal that healthcare providers have the highest level security possible due to the private nature of their data.  Security regulations, such as HIPAA, have been influencing the security protocols in cloud providers and MSPs can use this heightened security to better provide for their clients.

“Ever since patient health information became digital, many countries have introduced more stringent regulations to protect patient privacy and secure patient data.” – Med City News

How can MSPs keep their client’s information safe from prying eyes?

Responsible for Protecting Private Data

“It is your responsibility to secure your sensitive patient data, to encrypt data at rest and in transit and, importantly, to ensure that only you (not even your cloud provider) control your encryption keys. This is both security common sense and also important from a regulatory point of view.”

Much like individuals in healthcare, as an MSP you will be the one held responsible for the security of your client’s information, whether it be in healthcare or another industry.  You need to constantly be questioning and understanding the services of the cloud provider to ensure that hackers are unable to break through and steal vital information.

Provide Additional Firewalls

“Several cloud providers will provide protections such as firewalls, audits, multiple security layers, and authentication that closely controls separation of the multiple ‘tenants’ in the cloud environment. Individually and collectively, these and other mechanisms are all essential components to strong protection of patient data.”

Healthcare companies need to have some of the highest caliber security plans in place, and do so by making use of different protection plans. You can never be too safe when it comes to protecting your client’s health care data (or similar sensitive information).  Always be sure to not only have a Plan A, but to also have a Plan B and Plan C, in the form of firewalls and audits and IT monitoring software. One is not always enough, cloud providers should have multiple overlapping security measures in place.  The more safeguards that your provider has, the more secure your client’s data will be.

Strive to Achieve “Safe Harbor”

“Data encryption is not only a best practice for protecting privacy and security – it also provides a safe harbor to the organization in case of data loss.”

“Safe Harbor” is a status of security that indicates that all data is encrypted at every level and the encryption keys are properly guarded and managed. This status is critical in healthcare or similar industries where data is exctremely sensitive. A cloud provider should be able to demonstrate how they ensure safe harbor if a breach were to occur. In addition, knowing who has access to the information, keeping track of who is going in and out of what file is the best way to prevent there from being a breach in your client’s security system.

Due to the highly secured nature of information in the healthcare industry, cloud providers that specialize in healthcare data are great examples of the highest security protocols. MSPs should look to them as the standard when looking for providers for client’s who have a need for a high level of security.

How else can managed service providers ensure that healthcare records are kept safe online? Be sure to leave your opinion in the comments section below.