ConnectiCare knows health insurance. As one of the fastest-growing
HMOs in Connecticut, the company provides insurance coverage to
more than 270,000 individuals in their home state, western Massachusetts,
and four counties of New York. A large customer base is great for
ConnectiCare’s bottom line, but managing a lot of sensitive information
can be difficult for the IT department. While today’s technology
makes storing data easier than ever before, keeping that data secure
given the multitude of PC entry points presents unique challenges
that demand innovative solutions.
Safeguarding private information is more than just good business
practice; it is also a requirement for health insurance providers
who wish to remain HIPAA compliant. “While maintaining the privacy
of our customers has always been a high priority for us, HIPAA has
been a major driver of our current security policies,” states Bill
Liston, IT Solutions Technician for ConnectiCare.
Until two years ago, the potential security threat posed by peripheral
connections was not really an issue for ConnectiCare. “We were using
Windows NT, which did not support some of the devices we’re concerned
with now. However, we decided to upgrade to XP and with the upgrade
came the potential problems,” says Liston. “Simply telling more
than 500 people not to use their USB ports was just not a realistic
solution.”
After speaking with an external auditor, Liston decided to take
the proactive approach of finding a security solution that not only
protected sensitive information from outside theft or tampering
but that would also stand up to HIPAA guidelines. Safend Protector
met ConnectiCare’s criteria.
“I’m not aware of any other software that performs like Safend
Protector,” Liston commented. “We ran the free USB Auditor tool,
which is fantastic, and demoed USB Port Protector. Then we were
told, ‘there’s more’ and we got a chance to use the newest solution,
Safend Protector.”
Safend Protector, available through resellers internationally,
controls data access from the physical ports of all enterprise endpoints,
such as USB, FireWire, WiFi, Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA), and CD/DVDs.
Safend Protector operates at the kernel level, allowing IT managers
to set granular policies regarding peripheral device connectivity.
Anti-tampering features make modifying or removing the software
virtually impossible for end-users, resulting in Safend Protector
achieving the rank of most comprehensive endpoint security solution
available.
Liston agrees, “I didn’t have to shop around. Safend Protector
gives us what we need to maintain the privacy and integrity of our
client information.”
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Case Study: ConnectiCare Health Insurance