Cloud computing provider 8×8 announced on Tuesday that its Virtual Office hosted PBX VoIP phone service now supports HIPAA and HITECH compliant solutions.
8×8 VoIP phone service already complies with FISMA regulations and
PCI-DSS, but the added HIPAA and HITECH compliance can assure customers
in the health and medical field that their communication services can
meet the requirements for electronically transmitted health information.
“Security is one of the chief concerns IT professionals have when
considering migrating to cloud-based services,” Mike McAlpen, senior
director of security and compliance at 8×8 said in a statement. “I’m
pleased to report that 8×8 is one of the very few, if not the only, VoIP
providers whose business phone service solutions are compliant with
some of the strictest industry standards. Compliance with these
standards is not an easy task, but 8×8 is committed to making sure
security remains a #1 priority.”
Aside from security, there are several other challenges that exist
for hosting or cloud providers that serve healthcare clients. In a
recent interview with the WHIR, Logicworks talked about the many concerns its customers have with moving to cloud-based services.
For electronic health record software provider for ambulatory physician groups, MDS Medical, security is a major concern.
“It is important to our business that 8×8 places security of customer
data and adherence to national security standards as one of the most
important attributes of its service,” William Schroeder, MDS Medical
president and CEO said in a statement. “8×8 is clearly committed to
providing verifiable data to back up its commitment to assuring the
highest levels of security. We are very pleased to have selected such a
trustworthy partner.”
8×8 delivers its communications solutions from two mirrored, and SSAE
16- audited data centers on the east and west coasts of the US.
Talk back: What do you think of the added healthcare
compliance to 8×8’s VoIP solution? Is HIPAA or HITECH compliant VoIP
something that you are looking at offering? Let us know in a comment.