What is HL7?   HL7, short for Health Level Seven, is a set of international Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards used to provide guidance with the transfer and sharing of clinical and administrative data between software applications used by various healthcare providers. These standards focus on the Application Layer, or “layer 7” in the...

  When searching for a new software solution to meet your organization’s needs, it’s easy to see the labels “HIPAA-Certified” or “HIPAA Compliant” and believe your bases are covered. After all, “HIPAA-Certified” means the product or application follows HIPAA’s privacy rules and has everything in place to protect your health and patient information,...

  What is GPG? GPG, also known as GNU Privacy Guard (GnuPG), is a different adaption, but popular implementation of the Open PGP standard as defined by RFC 4880. GPG in Depth GPG is an open-source standard and strong alternative to the official PGP software owned by Symantec. It was developed by Werner Koch and released in 1999 as an alternative to...

  You seal the envelope when you send a letter. You lock your car when you park at the big box store. You track your packages to make sure porch pirates don’t get them before you do. Your file exchanges should be no different. Learn the essentials on how you can keep your data secure both while it’s sitting at home or being delivered. What is...

    Safety First: It’s Safer Internet Day!   Each February, more than 100 countries around the world take note of the massive power of the internet and more importantly, the urgency surrounding how to be safer and better users of the internet, especially those younger users. In the U.S., Safer Internet Day is recognized on Feb. 9. Why Was Safer...

    Meet the Trio   SSL, TLS, and HTTPS are a unique trio that each work to help keep your important data secure on the Internet. If you've ever wondered how each of these protocols compares, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the basics and how they operate. Know the Terms: GoAnywhere Glossary   What is SSL? SSL, short for Secure Sockets...

  Despite the many changes that 2020 brought, including new home offices, new (and quickly abandoned) hobbies, and new threats, some things stayed the same: numerous data breaches, disruptive hacks, and staggering fines. We thought 2019 was a momentous year for data breaches, and it even earned the name “the worst year on record” before the end of...

  Did you know that the average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million and almost 30% of all organizations will experience at least one breach over the next 24 months? Besides the immediate cost, such as data loss and regulatory fines, organizations also suffer from tarnished reputations, eroded customer trust, the cost of other remedial measures, and...

    Cryptocurrency and Cryptojacking Make a Dangerous Pair   With the rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies (electronic money) and their increasing acceptance as a legitimate way to purchase goods and services online, it didn’t take long for cryptojackers or cryptohackers to begin devising their schemes to mine cryptocurrency from others; and it’s...

  From Robin Hood to Bonnie and Clyde to Equifax, banks and the finance industry have been in jeopardy since the beginning of recorded history. For one, banks and financial services are enticing targets. The promise of a big payout, whether by breaching the vault or ransoming sensitive personal data, is what keeps would-be bank robbers and cyber...

    News Flash: It’s Computer Security Day!   Today, November 30, is Computer Security Day! These days, electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers are a huge part of our everyday lives. They impact how we socialize, how we work, how we get around, and so much more. Although communication has become easier, efficient, and more...

  Complying with your doctor’s recommendations is the primary key to feeling good and staying healthy. Complying with the healthcare industry’s security standards and personal data protection requirements holds the key to avoiding an audit failure, paying steep fines, or trying to heal from the impact of a data breach. Sure, you can meet stringent...

  Every organization needs to safeguard the data they collect, store, and share with customers, trading partners, and colleagues. Many choose file encryption software, which is one of the most straightforward ways to protect your data at rest and in motion. By using one of several complex algorithms, file encryption software encodes the contents of...

  You have choices when it comes to sending large files. You can choose to take your chances with free file transfer solutions, but they can be risky. Using a managed file transfer (MFT) solution is a reliable way to secure your data and ensure it gets where it needs to be. Here’s a few ways you can get peace-of-mind when sending your big files. Send...

  Sending that small file, or even a few small files, is a no-brainer at most organizations. But what about those massive, unwieldly and oh-so-sensitive files that inevitably get “stuck” or noted as “undeliverable.” You know the ones…those really important files that need to be somewhere yesterday! Without a company-approved file sharing method in...

  File encryption software is a tool – either free or paid – that encodes your information so that it remains secure in motion, at rest, or both. Securing sensitive data is essential for any organization, and file encryption software does the heavy lifting. File encryption software uses one of several complex algorithms to scramble the contents of...

  Even as cybersecurity experts and researchers declare that the “underground golden age is over” as its top marketplaces are raided or close their doors, the dark web continues to thrive. In fact, Darkode, one of the most well-known hacking forums and black markets, recently reopened. And what are some of the most common wares at these underground...

  Good IT jokes are few and far between, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. That’s why we put on our creativity hats to brainstorm joke after joke – with a break to pull in a few of our favorites from the web – for the ultimate result: the motherlode (or should we say motherboard?) of cybersecurity jokes and puns. P.S.: we side with Alfred...

    File Encryption Software is “Key”   What is the key to keeping your data safe? One word: Encryption. There’s no question that encrypting sensitive data at rest and in motion is essential when it comes to guarding against cyber threats and complying with local, national, or industry-standard requirements. However, if you’re still on the fence...

In May of 2020, substantial guidance on email encryption was issued by the German Data Protection Authorities (German DPAs) specific to personal data transferred via email. These guidelines recommend reducing the risks of a personal data breach with both end-to-end encryption and transport encryption. The new guidelines build on previous requirements,...