Meeting HIPAA Security Compliance with 10 Easy Keys, Part 1

While the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) may be old news, having been established in 1996, it has become more important than ever to ensure the strength and effectiveness of these programs. A good place to start is with the security measures that are in place to protect sensitive data, such as client information. IT security represents one of the major risk factors being faced by businesses today, making this a priority concern which should be handled immediately. In order to begin addressing this issue in an efficient manner, here are the first five out of ten important keys necessary to helping businesses better assess and safeguard against this threat:

1. 1. In order to give IT security the attention it deserves, businesses must first understand just why this issue is so important. With our growing reliance on technology, both in the work place and as a primary means of communication, so too has grown the ability for digital thieves to use these systems to steal valuable information. Not only that, but computer hardware can also run the risk of being damaged, or software corrupted, leading to unexpected data loss. These risks are just a sample of the problems facing a business’ IT systems, any of which could result in dire consequences if left unattended.
   2. One of the first steps that must be taken in strengthening a business’ IT security is the training of employees. In order for any IT system to be entirely secure, employees must be well-trained to understand the severity of the issue, as well as ways in which they can help safeguard against any unnecessary threats. One of the biggest risk factors to an organization’s IT security is its employees. All too frequently a number of techniques are used to lure sensitive information from employees, or to draw the employees into unknowingly assisting in a security breach. It is these unsavory methods that employees must be warned against to prevent them from making such dire mistakes.
   3. Before steps can be taken to strengthen an organization’s IT security, first, an assessment must be made to determine the system’s weaknesses. While many smaller businesses may lack the financial resources to employ top-of-the-line analytical consultants and software, there are a number of cheaper alternatives that will get the job done without breaking the bank. Once these methods have been employed and an analysis conducted, the business can then work from this information to implement new safeguards to fill the gaps in security.
   4. One of the most important threats that a business must protect against is the possibility of data loss through damage or corruption. The only sure contingency for such a threat is to periodically back up all critical information to a secondary location. This can be a physical location, such as secondary hard drives or servers, or a virtual storage system, such as those services offered by new cloud computing systems. Whatever method you may decide to use, this is an absolute necessity and should not be delayed.
   5. As important as protecting against physical threats may be, so too is defending a business’ IT systems against digital breaches. Given the sophistication of today’s digital criminals, there is no longer any such thing as an infallible security system, but that does not mean that companies should not do their best to help prevent more moderate threats. Like the methods used in assessing security, defense can also be an expensive endeavor, though cheaper means do exist. It should be kept in mind that, in general, the more a business is willing to invest in their security, the safer they will be.

Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.