Introduction
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) sets forth federal laws that protect the privacy and security of health information. If you run any type of healthcare business, federal law requires your organization to follow HIPAA compliance regulations, so it maintains its license to operate. One important piece in maintaining compliance with HIPAA is having an offsite data backup plan. If something were to happen onsite, you will still have all your data accessible. Here are some tips on starting a data backup plan.
Why you should back up your data offsite for HIPAA?
In order for healthcare practices to maintain their license to operate, they must comply with HIPAA regulations. One crucial aspect of HIPAA compliance is having an offsite data backup plan. This ensures that in the event of an onsite issue, all data will still be accessible. To comply with HIPAA regulations for offsite data backups, there are a few options available. One approach is to regularly send data to a storage facility or third-party provider using physical transport or online backup software. Another option is to use cloud storage as an offsite backup solution.
What are the steps for creating an offsite data backup plan?
There are a few ways to go about offsite data backups for HIPAA compliance. One option is to send your data offsite to a storage facility or third-party provider regularly. Your business can do this through physical transport or using online backup software. Another option is to use cloud storage as your offsite backup solution.
- Decide on a regular schedule for transporting your data offsite. This could be once a week, once a month, or once a year. It depends on whatever works best for your business.
- Choose a storage facility or third-party provider that meets the security requirements of HIPAA. Make sure to ask about their security protocols and read their privacy policy carefully.
- Use online backup software (if applicable) to send your data offsite. However, make sure that the online backup service you choose is HIPAA compliant as well.
- Use cloud storage as an offsite backup solution. The service should offer HIPAA compliance as a standard option, meet all the security requirements required by federal law, and adhere to signing a Business Associate Agreement.
You now have an offsite backup solution for your HIPAA compliance. How can you protect the data itself?
- Use encryption software to protect sensitive information at rest (when it is not in use) and in transit (during transport).
- Keep all your storage devices locked up when they are not in use.
- Restrict access to your data to only authorized personnel.
- Test your backup and recovery plans regularly to make sure they work properly.
- You could also sign up with a backup as a service provider to ensure it is set up properly and managed regularly.
By following these tips, you can make sure your data is safe and secure no matter what happens.
What are the benefits of having an offsite data backup plan?
When it comes to protecting your data, having an offsite data backup plan is one of the best ways to keep your information safe. Here are some of the benefits of having an offsite data backup plan:
- You would store your data in different geographical locations. This minimizes the risk of natural disasters or other unexpected events destroying your data.
- Your service provider can test offsite backups regularly to ensure that they are working properly and that your data is accessible in case of an emergency.
- Your data is secure and protected by encryption software while in transport or storage.
- Only authorized personnel have access to your data.
- You can rest assured that your data is always safe and secure, no matter what happens.
Having an offsite data backup plan is an excellent way to maintain HIPAA compliance for your business. Now begin creating your plan!
Conclusion
To maintain HIPAA compliance, healthcare businesses must have an offsite data backup plan. There are a few ways you can go about this: sending your data offsite regularly or using cloud storage as the backup solution. One of the benefits is that storing your information in a separate geographical location minimizes the risk of natural disasters and other unexpected events destroying all your data. Make sure to keep sensitive info encrypted at rest and transit for additional protection!
We can help your business with backup with our Managed Backup as a Service Solution that includes everything you need for secure and stable backups that are HIPAA compliant in protected offsite cloud storage. This backup service will pass an audit or security risk assessment.
Contact us today at 877-794-3811 or email info@swifttechsolutions.com