Most practices rely on cloud-based software, but cloud-based software doesn’t mean your vital data and files are being backed up properly.
Cloud backup solutions provide users with the flexibility, scalability, and reliability required for protecting important data from potential disasters or other unexpected problems. They’re designed to be secure, efficient, and cost-effective, ensuring data is safe and accessible when needed.
While HIPAA itself doesn’t have data retention rules related to electronic health records, states do. However, HIPAA compliance does have data retention requirements, so ensuring you have secured your data and access to it is crucial for compliance and business continuity. Cloud backup is the perfect solution for those needs.
The IT costs could be cumbersome for a small dental practice or medical office, stifling investment elsewhere. Instead, a cloud backup provider can ensure necessary redundancies, network reliability, as well as more advanced safety features, both physical and logical.
Specifically, HIPAA compliance for data and data storage requires both physical and logical security. Stored data must have the following:
- Perimeter security – Data centers that host cloud backup capability must be physically secure, including 24/7/365 manned security presence to monitor access to the facilities.
- Access controls – Access to rooms where any devices or servers are kept must be controlled with measures such as a trackable keycard.
- User account control – Following the principle of least privilege, only authorized users should have access to HIPAA data.
- Auditable logs – Being able to provide audit trails for data access is essential should there be unauthorized access or a data leak of any kind.
- Data transfers – All data in transit must be encrypted to defend against unauthorized access. This includes data transmitted for storage or backup.
- Data encryption – To be considered HIPAA compliant, stored data must be encrypted using 256-bit AES encryption and accessed via a two-factor authentication mechanism. This includes backups, which should be encrypted when they are created.
- Data redundancy – HIPAA compliance requires multiple copies of your data, ideally in multiple locations to ensure reliability, accessibility, and safety at all times. Should a disaster strike or a server fail, your cloud services data center must be able to push the data elsewhere to ensure it’s accessible.
- System monitoring – Monitoring includes verifying backups are running as scheduled and proactively monitoring for technical issues, so upgrades happen before you need them.
In the healthcare space, you see patients daily and update information just as regularly. Therefore, backups are recommended every night and once again weekly.
In an era when threats against healthcare are increasing, and the potential to lose access to your data is an evolving threat, having a team on your side who understands the IT, security, and healthcare landscape is essential.
If you’re looking to ensure the reliability, security, and accessibility of your backups, iCoreCloud, the encrypted HIPAA-compliant cloud backup from iCoreConnect, can ensure your backups happen as scheduled and your data is available when you need it. Learn more at and access member discounts or call 888.810.7706.