Backup Disaster Recovery Guide For Healthcare

Many aspects of the healthcare industry are now digitized. As a result, professionals in the field constantly face the challenge of protecting sensitive information that could easily become compromised if the right steps aren’t taken.

One major concern of healthcare professionals is the possibility that this information could be lost due to hardware failure or disaster. Backup and disaster recovery, BDR, can prevent this sensitive data from being lost, which would not only eliminate a lot of work for those tasked with recovering it but also actually save lives.

According to IBM, BDR solutions are “critical for minimizing the impact of unplanned downtime on your business.”

What is backup and disaster recovery?

BDR combines data backup and disaster recovery resolutions that work together to ensure the continuity of a company. It isn’t simply a matter of copying and backing up the files you need the most. BDR is much more encompassing, providing solutions that enable business operations to continue should data corruption, hardware failure, or a natural disaster occur.

Why BDR is needed in the healthcare industry

There’s no way to avoid harmful events such as hardware failures, cyber-attacks, and natural disasters. They can occur at any time without warning. That’s why it’s important to have a plan in place for backing up and recovering sensitive medical information in case of a malfunction that could destroy it or place patient details into the hands of an unauthorized party.

You can ensure your medical data is secure by backing it up in a place where it is easily and quickly recoverable. This keeps downtime minimal and the information safe.

By implementing an effective BDR solution, you’ll gain the security of knowing your data is always protected against the numerous forms of disaster that could plague you.

What does your BDR need?

There are several features a BDR solution should contain. You may have specific BDR requirements for your medical business, in which case a plan will be customized with your particular needs in mind. Here are some key features to consider.

Hardware compatibility: You need compatibility and flexibility across multiple devices which you can then extend to end-users.
Flexible pricing model: All businesses have unique needs, so you’ll want to find a BDR solution designed specifically for you. Find a company with a pricing model that works for both you and them. This will help keep your margins where you want them.
Proven recovery time objective (RTO): Downtime can cost you a lot of money, so you need to recover data as quickly and easily as possible. You need RTOs that are measured in minutes rather than hours or days. This will give you a distinct advantage over others in the medical industry whose BDR plans aren’t as comprehensive as yours.

Other features include support 24 hours a day to ensure someone is always available to help, and redundancy and cloud support to virtualize your data, so it’s always there when you need it.

Keeping it compliant

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was put in place to protect the privacy of patient information that is handled every day in healthcare plans and by many different professionals in the medical industry. This act poses important questions about how BDRs will be implemented.

According to an article posted on keepitsafe.com, “While the cloud makes file storage and sharing comfortable and convenient, its security risks are significant enough to have pushed for the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009.”

The regulation covers service providers with access to protected health information referred to as PHI. This includes anyone who receives, creates, maintains, or transmits PHI on behalf of an associate, which also encompasses cloud providers.

That’s why it is essential to find a company that can come up with a BDR plan that will keep this information safe during each stage or transaction while ensuring it is available as soon as possible should a disaster wreak havoc with your system.