When working to develop a strong IT security system, a wide array of issues must be addressed. Risks should be assessed and managed before a business can hope to meet all the necessary HIPAA security standards. In order to help identify these potential threats and streamline the process, here are another five keys crucial to security development:
6. It is not enough for a company to simply implement new security software and leave it at that. Given the changing rate of technology, with new and more evolved computer viruses being created every day, it is critically important these programs be updated from time to time to help compensate against new threats. Failing to update these programs can leave the system just as vulnerable as having no security in place at all, and the longer these programs go without being updated, the more vulnerable they become.
7. While HIPAA standards may not require the encryption of any digital communications, this is still a highly important technique which should be considered by any business looking to defend against unnecessary communications breaches. However, while no necessity for encryption is stated, allowing a breach to occur because no such defenses were in place can be held against a business. While employing cryptographic processes can be time consuming and may slow the transmission of messages, the benefits still greatly outweigh the drawbacks when it comes to protecting sensitive information and avoiding compliance failures.
8. As a further precaution in the matter of data transmission and communications, HIPAA standards specify that, in order to ensure the secure movement of this information from point A to point B without breach, businesses must contact and receive assurances from any third-party to whom information is being transferred, and that they will do their own part in safeguarding against such issues. Essentially, this means that anyone to whom a business communicates sensitive information, in effect, then becomes an extension of that business, requiring relations be initiated and maintained to ensure an understanding of the importance of protecting against such breaches for the sake of both parties.
9. The more a business learns, both about IT security and HIPAA standards, the more they will come to realize just how important their IT systems and tools really are. By openly communicating with the vendors of these components about their standards and needs, businesses can begin taking steps to further develop their systems to be as effective as possible. This communication and development comes with the added benefit of helping to satisfy a number of other HIPAA standards as well.
10. In order to help see each of these guidelines through in a quick and efficient manner, the first thing businesses should do is develop a well-structured plan to see these goals through, and start with the end in mind. It is important to remember that there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution to developing a strong and secure IT system, and that each step taken should take into careful consideration the level of risk being faced and how best to compensate for it appropriately.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
