AlertBoot’s New HIPAA Encryption With Integrated Reporting Gaining Traction With Assisted Living Facilities

Las Vegas, Nevada (PRWEB) February 18, 2014

AlertBoot, a leading provider of mobile device management and managed full disk encryption services, has successfully contracted with various nursing homes across the US to provide them with an easy way to encrypt laptops and protect smart phones in the workplace.

The increased interest in encryption software by assisted living facilities arises due to heightened HIPAA data security and privacy requirements. The increased attention in AlertBoot comes from newly integrated HIPAA compliance reports as well as the simple and easy approach to digital device security using AlertBoot's cloud-based deployment and installation.

"People working in nursing homes have an extra set of challenges when it comes to HIPAA," noted Tim Maliyil, founder and CEO of AlertBoot. "For example, nurses working in such environments must be vigilant on how they respond to the simplest of questions, as their answers may inadvertently reveal patients' protected health information. This is in addition to their duties as healthcare professionals. Their job description and working hours leaves them very little room for becoming field experts on computer data security. The same goes for administrators, doctors, and other personnel who assist seniors."

HIPAA data security requirements can be complex and cover a wide range of activities. When it comes to laptop computers, HIPAA specifically defers to NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) on the technical aspects of encryption software. NIST guidelines for good, strong encryption generally boil down to this:

(1) Use AES encryption if possible, (2) Ensure that the encryption key strength is AES-128 or stronger, (3) Ensure encryption keys are backed up and kept in a secure manner.

In addition, it is recommended that HIPAA covered entities employ encryption software that has received FIPS 140-2 validation. A FIPS certificate is only granted after NIST has tested the solution, ensuring that the encryption software complies with NIST guidelines. Situations where an encryption solution fails NIST scrutiny are not unheard of, and a FIPS certificate prevents such unforeseen risks.

In the event that a particular solution turns out to be non-compliant, the covered entity will not be able to partake in one of the well-known advantages of using encryption as a HIPAA compliance measure: the safe harbor one gains from the Breach Notification Rule.

Gaining safe harbor requires more than adherence to technical specifications, however. A covered entity must be able to demonstrate, via documentation, the use of encryption, which can be problematic for stand-alone encryption software.

AlertBoot resolves this problem via its web-based console which doubles as a central server that can log and track a device's encryption status from the beginning. Traditional solutions require a separate management server that is managed by a technician. Unlike the AlertBoot model, such a server is an extra cost that is not already priced into the license cost.

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AlertBoot's New HIPAA Encryption With Integrated Reporting Gaining Traction With Assisted Living Facilities