Online Backup for Dental Practices

As today's modern dental practices rely more and more on electronic and digital technologies to run their daily operations and service their patients, it's critical that they have a reliable and secure backup and recovery solution in place to safeguard their practice management data. Digital x-rays, electronic patient data, and financial records are just some of information that must be kept secure in order to protect the business and meet privacy regulations such as HIPAA.

But the reality is that many dental practices are not adequately backing up important data which can put their business at risk and compromise their patients' private health information. Not performing backups on a regular basis due to the time and hassle involved, lack of staffing resources to administer backups, as well as the unreliability of tape backups are just some of the reasons that many dental practices are not fully protected in the event of a catastrophic loss.

According to Gartner, at least 20% of computer users lose data annually. Whether it's a hardware or software crash, theft, an act of nature such as a flood or fire, or even simple human error, the cost of data loss can be significant. It's estimated that a single incident of data loss can cost a business an average of $10,000 (Gartner). In addition to the financial costs of lost business and possible fines associated with non-compliance of privacy standards, a business must also deal with the consequences of damage to its reputation and brand, and the loss of customer loyalty.

With these kinds of challenges, it's easy to understand how most small businesses fail after a major interruption such as a catastrophic data loss. But as Rich Mogul, research vice president for Gartner, points out, "Data loss and information leaks are not random acts of nature too costly to prevent. " With the right backup and recovery strategy in place, dental practices can successfully protect their valuable data and gain peace of mind knowing that the lifeblood of their business is secure.

Why Cloud Backup for Dental Practices?

Although many dental practices still rely on traditional backup methods such as tapes, CDs, or ZIP drives, these methods can be expensive, labor intensive and highly unreliable. Research by the Gartner Group indicates that as much as 50% of all tape backups cannot be recovered in full due to errors in handling. As dental offices look to store even greater amounts of their practice information in electronic format, the reliability of the backup method is crucial.

An automated cloud backup system can provide today's dental practices with numerous benefits over traditional methods, including:

Superior protection against catastrophic loss

It's a fact that data disasters can happen to any business, but a cloud backup solution can safeguard vital practice management information by providing automatic backups that run with virtually no user intervention. Backups occur automatically over the Internet and eliminate the time-consuming process of having to continually change and rotate tapes, as well as the hassle of having to store tapes at another secure. location. The dental office no longer has to worry about whether personnel are available to administer the tape backup and instead can focus on serving their patients' needs.

Confidentiality of protected health information

Cloud backup systems are designed to safeguard protected health information. For a dental practice, this means that any sensitive health information that is electronically created, received, maintained, or transmitted is automatically protected from unauthorized disclosure. The dental practice can be confident that there are maintaining their patients' privacy while at the same time meeting stringent regulations such as HIPAA. Failure to comply with HIPAA can result in civil and criminal penalties as well as significant damage to a company's reputation and brand.

Off site storage & redundant data centers

One of the most critical components of an effective data backup and recovery solution is the ability to store the data offsite in a highly secure data center. This ensures that in the event of a disaster such as a fire, flood, or theft, the data will still be safe and recoverable. Many cloud backup solutions also offer an added layer of protection with redundant offsite data storage facilities. These geographically separate, highly secure data centers ensure that vital data is kept safe from natural disasters and other catastrophic occurrences. In the event that the dental office does need to recover data, the process is quick and secure, requiring just a PC and an Internet connection to retrieve the lost files. The office can resume operations with minimal disruption to servicing their patients.

Real-time recovery

When disaster strikes, a business needs a reliable recovery solution that will enable them to restore their data in almost real-time. Unlike tape backups where it may take days or even weeks to be back in full operation, a cloud backup and recovery solution provides almost instant access to files 24x7. All or selected files can be restored quickly, and in most cases, a business can be completely back up and running after a system failure in just a few hours. For a dental practice, this means that they can get back to taking care of their patients instead of tediously searching through tape backups for lost data.

ASI Safeguards Patient Data with Intronis Cloud Backup + Recovery

The ASI Group is a healthcare systems integrator specializing in service to the dental industry throughout Alabama, Northwest Florida, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Recognizing the critical need to provide its clients with a secure method for protecting their practice management information, ASI began to search for a cloud backup and recovery solution that would meet their requirements.

"Online data backup and recovery is a vital component of today's modern dental practice," said C.J. Ezell, President of ASI. "With more and more of our customers storing their practice information in digital format, they can't afford to take a chance with traditional backup methods like tapes or CDs which can be technically unreliable and susceptible to human error. Our customers require an automated cloud backup method that will keep their information protected and secure. In addition, with the majority of our customers located along the Gulf Coast, it's imperative that we can provide a solution that will successfully restore our customers' data in the event of a disaster such as a flood or hurricane."

A Scalable Solution

After evaluating numerous cloud backup and recovery solutions, ASI chose Intronis Cloud Backup + Recovery for its automatic data protection and on-demand file restoration capability. ASI has successfully integrated the solution, which it has rebranded as A-Safe Cloud Backup, at 110 of its dental client offices. The system currently protects approximately 3.2 terabytes of data and is easily scalable to handle more as ASI's storage needs grow. "With the Intronis partnership, we're able to purchase additional storage as the needs of our clients change," commented Ezell. "We don't have to commit to a certain amount of storage capacity up front, and we know we won't run out of space as we might with tape backup. No more worrying about changing tapes or purchasing additional tapes. The storage capacity grows automatically as we need it. This model really works for us and our clients."

Making HIPAA Compliance Easy

In today's healthcare environment, organizations that don't properly secure their patients' electronic protected health information (EPHI) can find themselves in serious violation of HIPAA privacy regulations. HIPAA requires that organizations have proper security measures in place to protect against unauthorized access to any EPHI that is being transmitted over their network. For small businesses such as ASI's dental practices, meeting HIPAA compliance can be a major challenge due to lack of resources and technical expertise.

As Ezell commented, "We wanted to provide our clients with a HIPAA compliant solution that protected the privacy of their patients, but we also wanted a solution that would be transparent to users and not require significant staff resources. Our A-Safe Solution is an ideal application for the dental practice environment that provides the right balance between user convenience and security for sensitive patient information. It automates the process of backing up electronic data offsite, provides full file restoration capability, and is 100% HIPAA compliant. And it does it all with minimal user intervention. Our dental clients can focus on their business and servicing their patients rather than managing complex compliance issues and HIPAA regulations."

ASI's A-Safe Solution ensures that all EPHI is fully protected when it is backed up and stored. The solution encrypts all data and then stores the information in two offsite Tier 4, SAS 70 certified data centers located thousands of miles apart. These military-grade facilities have biometric controlled access, backup power generators, redundant Internet connections, and are monitored 24/ 7/365. This high level of security ensures that if a natural disaster or system failure does occur, all patient records and other important data will be completely recoverable.

When Disaster Strikes

ASI has helped to transition the majority of its customers to nearly paperless environments where they are now storing x-rays as well as patient records, appointments, and billing information in digital format. While this progressive approach to running the business has led to increased efficiency, it also means that an effective backup and disaster recovery strategy must be a top priority. As Ezell commented, "For our customers, their network is really their lifeblood. It they were to experience a catastrophic data loss and not be able to do a proper restore, the viability of their business would be in serious jeopardy. Also, living along the Gulf Coast, which is prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods, makes our customers are even more aware of the severe impact that a data loss could have on their business."

When the unexpected did recently happen for one of ASI's clients, the ASI A-Safe Solution made data restoration simple and hassle free. A lightning storm struck one of ASI's dental client's offices, taking down the computer server which stored more than 70 gigabytes of digital x-rays, medical records, and other critical data. To make matters worse, the office had not recently done a local backup. Fortunately, ASI's A-Safe solution included secure offsite data protection that allowed them to do a full data restore. "Coming to grips with the reality of a major data loss is stressful to say the least," commented Ezell. "But our client was able to breathe a sigh of relief once they realized that our cloud backup and recovery solution would be able to successfully retrieve their data from secure offsite facilities."

All of the client's critical practice data was securely backed up at two redundant data centers located thousands of miles apart. Each facility includes biometric controlled access, backup generators, and redundant connections to the Internet to ensure maximum protection of sensitive data. In addition, all data remained completely confidential as the files were encrypted at all times using 256-bit AES encryption until they were deciphered by the client.

"Our client was impressed that we were able to quickly access all of their data with minimal interruption to their business," commented Ezell. ASI's A-Safe Solution is powered by the Intronis Accelerated Restoration Protocol which can recover individual files, revisions of files, entire folders, or complete backup sets. Files can be recovered to any PC with an Internet connection, at speeds three times faster than other data backup solutions (according to independent testing laboratories).

"Our client was back in business within one business day which is incredible given the amount of data that had to be recovered," commented Ezell. "With the Intronis solution we were able to provide our clients with a quick, affordable, and reliable recovery option that truly made the difference between disaster and business as usual."

About Intronis and the Intronis Partner Program

Intronis provides online data backup, archiving and recovery for businesses that need the kind of automatic data protection, reliable offsite backup, and on-demand data recovery once available only to Fortune 500 companies. Powerful features are joined in a user-friendly interface designed to deliver the greatest benefit with the least hassle.

Intronis offers a unique partner program that provides Managed Service Providers and IT consultants with the industry's best cloud backup and recovery solution available. Intronis partners can take advantage of private branding opportunities, unmatched customer support, and file recovery three times faster than any other solution.

Intronis has built a strong network of partners who are committed to growing their business by working with a leader in online data backup and recovery. As C.J. Ezell, President of the ASI Group, commented, "The Intronis partner program is one of the best in the industry. From the rebranding opportunities, to the open platform for feedback and suggestions, to the high level of customer service, we've been nothing but impressed with the Intronis partnership. Their commitment to partners is truly unprecedented, as they are always willing to go above and beyond. Our business has grown and we have increased our profits significantly as a result of relationship with Intronis. We certainly look forward to partnering with them for a long time to come."