Let’s talk about the Internet and web app security for a moment. Just this week there was big news that someone in Russia hacked into the Democratic National Committee’s computer systems to obtain secured information. It was reported that the hackers had been inside the computer network for about a year and were able to read all e-mails and chats in addition to stealing documents.
In today’s world there are software tools developed to make hacking into web databases easier. If a service provider is not using a multi-level security method to protect your client information, it is open to the risk of being compromised and you usually will not even know it has happened. Just because someone says their system is HIPAA compliant does not mean that a high level of security is implemented. The reason is that there is no set standard for compliance within HIPAA or HITECH. These sets of laws cover how you access and share data but do not have specific lists of how to protect information with technology.
Lately, we have been hearing from a few care managers about their interest in using new software that is available on the Internet. JewelCode has been measured in our adoption of these new web technologies. Our cautious approach is not because we are not able to work with this technology or we are old fashioned, it is all about protecting our clients and their client’s information. We know what hackers can do. I have personally been in the IT world for over 25 years and I have known a wide variety of people. One person whose advice really stuck with me was what is called a black hat. A black hat hacker is able to pretty much bypass any type of computer security. When I met him he was flying to a new job with Symantec. He told me that at this time Symantec was offering more money than the dark-side but whoever offers the most money is where he goes and he hacks on both sides. He said hackers are hired to attack anything and everything for money and they don’t always know who they are working for or why they are doing it. They just want the money and they’re skilled at what they do. These people exist!
So, JewelCode has been very careful about how we protect your liability AND your client information. We are currently using Microsoft servers which are hidden behind a very strong protection layer. This lets you continue in a mobile fashion while knowing your software provider is protecting you and your clients.
Will we be offering a full on web application? Yes, we will be doing so. We were recently invited to meet with some very knowledgeable people at Microsoft who shared some new technology that we find promising. We are investigating it further and working directly with them to make sure that we are doing our best to protect you and your clients.
So, think about these things when you are deciding if you want to go with the new web based apps or if you trust Lisa Moody and her team, who have always looked out for your best interests, as we go forward, together, into this new future of mobility and function. The Microsoft technology is exciting and will let us offer more options to you. We are working on it in a structured environment to make sure that it is done correctly. Microsoft staff appreciates what we are doing for geriatric care management and is helping us with the steps. We are in a great position to do this, the right way, and maintain the same level of protection that we have provided over the last 15 years.
If you would like to discuss this further, please let us know below.
