Posted on

Engineers Own Cloud Security and They Need Better Tools

Just about everyone agrees that the cloud is the biggest transformation in IT in decades, but you’ll hear many different reasons why. OpEx vs CapEx, no need to manage physical data centers, “agility", and other buzzwords. But, the real reason why cloud has had such a profound impact is because of the empowering role it has given developers.

In the data center, developers could move only as fast as the infrastructure and security team. But with cloud, developers own all of those functions — whether the organizations that employ them realize it or not. The effect has been profound. Cloud-based companies generally out-innovate their competition in strides.

Posted on

Azure and HIPAA Compliance: What You Need to Know

What is HIPAA?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a landmark piece of US legislation that was introduced in 1996, in order to safeguard and secure patient information and transmittal. Covered entities (CE) and Business Associates (BA) should comply with HIPAA regulations. Healthcare providers, health insurance plans and healthcare clearinghouses fall under CE whereas Business Associates can be a person or an entity that provides third party services and activities for covered entities, which involve accessing protected health information (PHI). Any information about the health status, provision of healthcare or payment of healthcare services that is created, collected or transmitted by a covered entity and linked with individually identifiable information is considered PHI under US law.

You may also like: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started With Azure Console.

HIPAA Regulatory Rules

Healthcare organizations have been embracing cloud to cut costs and improve the quality of care. While cloud adoption is a crucial stride for a healthcare entity, it is equally significant to adhere to HIPAA regulations. Ensuring valuable benefits for caregivers and consumers alike, HIPAA establishes standards for the secure handling of PHI.