With technology constantly advancing, we must do our part to be current with these updates and upgrade our systems to protect the information we collect from malicious hackers. There are two specific and separate requirements to protect our data: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Before reaching out to an IT services Irvine provider to do all the work for you, continue reading this blog to learn about the differences between these two compliances.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires a common standard to protect an individual’s electronic health information from being shared to others without their consent. This security covers technical, administrative, and physical safeguards, so by reassuring the individual’s privacy and security when they participate in an electronic exchange of their private health information, you are building trust between you and the patient. If the users in a network feel unsafe about any potential or detected risks when sharing their health information, they may avoid disclosing necessary information, that could lead to potential life-threatening consequences.
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI) is a set of policies that optimize the safety and security of all companies that accept, process, collect, or transmit debit cards, credit card, and cash transactions in a secure environment. This protects cardholders against fraud or any exploitations of their personal information. Using firewalls can be an effective method to safely process transactions between you and the cardholder. In addition, having authentication data that customers can easily and frequently change, like passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs), are highly encouraged to protect themselves from hackers.
Knowing the difference between HIPAA and PCI gives you a better understanding of what types of information you’re storing and how you should protect it. To further advance your knowledge on securing your network for your business, contact an IT services Irvine provider or a CloudStep professional today.