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Serverless Technology And HIPAA Compliance: What You Need To Know

Written by Maria Clara Ussa Perna | Feb 13, 2023 1:00:00 PM

As healthcare organizations continue their mission to provide secure care, the importance of maintaining HIPAA compliance cannot be overstated. With increasing storage requirements and data transfer regulations, companies are turning to serverless technology for cost-effective solutions. Serverless computing offers a way for healthcare companies to protect sensitive patient data while still achieving regulatory objectives. In this blog post, we'll discuss why serverless technology provides an ideal environment for HIPAA-compliant systems and how best practices can help ensure that processes remain compliant over time.

You Must Be Aware Of The Serverless Vendor's Security Offerings and Resources Available

Serverless technology has become increasingly popular among businesses in recent years due to its scalability, cost-efficiency, and ease of maintenance. However, serverless vendors must also take into account the HIPAA compliance requirements for cloud computing before deployment. It's important for organizations to be aware of serverless vendors’ security offerings if they plan to store sensitive patient data on the cloud. This includes both security measures taken by the serverless vendor as well as any resources or tools available for organizations looking for assistance in adhering to HIPAA regulations. This can minimize potential legal risks and ensure complete confidentiality when storing vital patient information on the serverless platform.

Make Sure Processes for Serverless Services Take into Account Privacy and Security Regulations

Serverless technology is a great innovation for organizations, but in order to ensure your processes are compliant with HIPAA regulations, it is imperative that serverless services are managed with privacy and security in mind. Aspects such as user authentication, audit logs, access controls, and encryption of data should all be reviewed frequently to ensure serverless operations meet the requirements of whichever industry standard or regulation applies. Organizations need to plan ahead for serverless technology projects and build out schemes specifically created to address their compliance needs ahead of time. Doing so helps to mitigate risk, allowing serverless technology initiatives to remain on track while ensuring they honor mandated privacy and protection measures.

Address Serverless Functions That Have Access To PHI Within Their Code Base.

Serverless technology is a powerful computing architecture that can be leveraged to simplify complex operations and provide cost savings for businesses. However, serverless functions that are given access to PHI must ensure that HIPAA compliance standards are met. This is accomplished by implementing appropriate security protocols within the serverless code base to ensure confidential patient health information (PHI) remains secure while in transit, during storage, and when accessed by serverless functions. Implementing serverless technology exclusively for tasks where PHI is not required will also reduce the chance of data breaches and liability issues associated with violating HIPAA regulations.

Review The Security Protocols

Understanding security protocols associated with serverless technologies is essential in ensuring only properly encrypted data is being accessed or transferred. Organizations wishing to take advantage of serverless technologies while leveraging the benefits of strong HIPAA compliance must thoroughly review their serverless service provider's processes and procedures, as well as consider implementing extra technical safeguards such as encryption and access control measures for additional data protection during server communication.

Monitor The Serverless System Closely 

While serverless technology brings many advantages, monitoring serverless system performance can be challenging when working with sensitive data such as medical records. As serverless technology is outside the traditional server infrastructure, it requires close monitoring to ensure that vendors are complying with HIPAA regulations. By keeping a close eye on serverless system performance, organizations can ensure they remain compliant with HIPAA security standards while enjoying the cost-saving serverless models provided.

Conclusion

With the abundance of health data being created and stored daily, it’s more important than ever to ensure that said data is secure. Serverless technology can help you do just that while maintaining compliance with HIPAA. Although serverless comes with its own set of challenges, the benefits far outweigh the risks when it comes to securing patient health information. So if you’re looking to build a healthcare app or website, be sure to keep serverless top of mind – your patients will thank you for it.