Showing posts with label cloud. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cloud. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

This ain't your grandma's locker! - PHI in the Cloud

So, recently I was talking to a potential customer about our MAx on Demand offering, which is our SaaS Healthcare Informatics platform and he said that one of the challenges he's been facing is convincing his Sr. Executives that it is safe to host Protected Health Information (PHI) in the cloud. He asked me if I had any arguments for it. Boy, where do I begin? Here is a stab at it.

Not your grandma's locker!
That's right, this is not granny's locker where the key hangs "securely" around her neck! If you have doubts about how sophisticated our data protection capabilities are, take a look:

Companies like ours, take the security of our clients' and their customers' data very seriously. So, there are two high levels of security in place, Physical Security & Network Security.

Physical Security
To access our data center physically, you have to go through a series of checks. If you are an employee, you are given a badge (after background checks of course!). This badge lets you in the parking lot and to the office spaces. You still can't get to the data center. To get to the data center, you have to have biometric access and a secure access code. This will let you into the data center. From the data center, to access your server, you have to have another secure pin that allows you to physically touch the servers. All of your actions are monitored by security cameras and stored.

If you are a visitor to our data center, you have to register with the guard station. You are ID'd and photographed. You will be escorted by an employee during your visit. 

Network Security
Our network security policies and procedures ensure the protection of company wide networks, related devices, and their services from unauthorized intrusion, modification, destruction, or disclosure. Network security provides assurance that a network performs its critical functions correctly, efficiently, and without any interference. Its primary goal is to provide a reliable and secure platform, designed specifically so that users and programs perform only the actions allowed.

Firewalls – Firewalls are utilized to provide dedicated, security specific processing hardware and a complete set of Unified Threat Management (UTM) security features including stateful firewall and web filtering.

Virus Protection – Antivirus software is installed on all Microsoft based servers and workstations. Automatic updates are configured to ensure latest signature download for system protections.

Logging – System logging occurs according to system settings defined by the administrator. Log records can be retrieved as needed. Successful and failed logon activities are logged by domain controllers.

Attck Monitoring - If that is not enough, you can always request 24x7 attack monitoring for your servers!

Disaster Recovery - If a disaster strikes, you can still sleep tight knowing that there is a triple redundant power supply to our data center. Oh, by the way, did I mention that this is a Category 5 hurricane resistant building?

Business Associate Agreements
And if you are still worried about liability, most reputed companies like ours will sign Business Associate Agreements as defined by HHS that makes us adhere to HIPAA laws and liable for breach of Private information: (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/contractprov.html)

So yeah, we know that you take your data protection seriously, so do we!  

Friday, December 4, 2009

Cloud, cloud, cloud!!

Alright, now that I have your attention by throwing out the biggest buzzword of recent times (watch it, if I still don't have your attention, I might start talking about 2012!!), I cringe every time I hear the word Cloud Computing being equated with "redundant data storage", "ASP" (application service provider) model applications, "load balancing" and "SaaS". Can I throw out some simple definitions out there? No? Well, I am going to, anyway!

SaaS - Software as a Service. Much like leasing a car. Instead of paying a one time purchase price, you pay over time. It is not new architecture or software, folks, it is a method of payment.

Load Balancing - You call in to a call center. "Please hold while we find the next available representative....". Not new architecture or software. Just finding the next available resource to answer your question.

ASP - Application Service Provider. Bill Pay Online anyone? Also, see SaaS. Not new architecture or software.

Storage of Data at Multiple Locations - Redundancy? Mirroring? Disaster Recovery? Not new architecture or software.

So, my dear sales person, please read Wikipedia before you call your application "Cloud enabled" or "water vapor" or any new term that your marketing folks thought up.

Internal Directive to Meta Analytix employees:
Starting immediately, please re-do our website and use the word "Cloud Computing" everywhere.
Sales: Please tell everyone our products are "SaaS enabled" and "Cloud Enabled".
Marketing: Please come up with some snazzy terms. I am thinking "SaaSy" or "Cloudy"
Technology: Enjoy your vacation. I will see you all next year.

--Your President

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Buzz (kill) Words!

If you have talked to a technologist or a technology sales person lately, you have certainly heard of SaaS, Cloud, Disruptive Innovation etc. Hmmm... "disruptive" innovation? Do you really have to say that innovation is "disruptive"? Didn't people stop riding horses to work when cars came around? So, when you are trying to choose your informatics solution, kick the first sales person that tells you that their solution is "in the cloud"!

Cloud is Water Vapor!
Don't believe me? Ask Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UYa6gQC14o). So what prompted him to give a (ahem) "passionate" speech about the cloud?
Let's examine the facts. If you really want to put your software "in the cloud", a fundamental engineering shift is needed than what is being purported as cloud computing. The closest thing we have seen to a truly "cloud" architected software, is the screensaver that SETI(Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence...to you and me, that is looking for E.T! ) put out 10 years ago (http://www.planetary.org/news/2009/0521_SETIhome_Celebrates_10_Years_of.html). Yes folks, "Cloud" computing happened back then! People downloaded the screensaver, and when they were not using their computers, the screensaver kicked in and started analyzing data for SETI, sending data back to their main computers once the analysis was done.

What is being sold as "cloud" computing today is nothing but a software that resides on one or more servers at the vendor's data center. In other words......wait for it....an ASP model! Remember that term? Application Service Provider model? Remember all the VCs who wanted to invest only in ASP model companies? Now, here is the kicker. Application Service Provider - Software as a Service (SaaS). You "lease" the software. Just like leasing a car. See the similarity? Are you seeing a pattern here? So, yes, I agree with Mr. Ellison..." we change the term and think that we have invented technology...".

The point being, forget cloud, forget SaaS, look for "functionality" in the software. Can it deliver what you need? Once you have ascertained that, then you can think of where it is going to be hosted!