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Inside DNAnexus

Product updates, industry insights, opinions and references. From the team powering the Genomics Revolution.

Keep Your HIPAA-Protected Data Safer with Cloud Computing

hipaa complianceIf you’ve been considering the implications of cloud computing when it comes to HIPAA compliance, a new article in Healthcare IT News is worth a read.

The article, penned by our own general counsel Lee Bendekgey, is entitled “Cloud computing reduces HIPAA compliance risk in managing genomic data.” In it, Lee looks at the massive computational infrastructure required for handling new health data, such as genome sequences. “The resources required to process, analyze, and manage petabytes of genomic information represent a huge burden for even the largest academic research facility or healthcare institution,” Lee writes.

While it may seem counterintuitive, he adds, moving data to a cloud environment can actually improve data security. Lee considers HIPAA requirements and historic breaches of HIPAA-secured data, looking at what factors may have improved security in those situations where personal health information was put at risk.

Breaches tend to occur on items that are portable — flash drives and laptops, for instance — so keeping data in the cloud means that sensitive data never actually lives on one of these easily stolen or lost devices. Cloud computing providers routinely encrypt data while it’s in transit and at rest, adding to high-grade security. Medical organizations considering this route should ensure that a cloud provider guarantees security audits, certifications, and assessments associated with HIPAA compliance.

“By using a cloud-based service with an appropriate security and compliance infrastructure, an organization can significantly reduce its compliance risk,” Lee writes.

About DNAnexus

DNAnexus the leader in biomedical informatics and data management, has created the global network for genomics and other biomedical data, operating in 33 countries including North America, Europe, China, Australia, South America, and Africa. The secure, scalable, and collaborative DNAnexus Platform helps thousands of researchers across a spectrum of industries — biopharmaceutical, bioagricultural, sequencing services, clinical diagnostics, government, and research consortia — accelerate their genomics programs.

The DNAnexus team is made up of experts in computational biology and cloud computing who work with organizations to tackle some of the most exciting opportunities in human health, making it easier—and in many cases feasible—to work with genomic data. With DNAnexus, organizations can stay a step ahead in leveraging genomics to achieve their goals. The future of human health is in genomics. DNAnexus brings it all together.