Cyber insurance sounds a bit scary, right? Unlike general liability insurance which would cover your physical property, cyber insurance covers you against things like viruses and hacked computers. Microsoft have a good article on Cyber Insurance here if you would like to read further on the topic.
Whatever your thoughts are on the insurance game, it’s good to be responsible with your sensitive data and therefore your computer systems. As you know, keeping your client information safe is vital for ethical and safety reasons.
However, if you keep any information about clients electronically – i.e. on a computer, you’ll also have to comply with the Data Protection Act.
Want to keep your data safe and computers functioning? Here are my top tips for all computer-based practitioners!
– Passwords: The most secure system in the world is no good if everyone uses the same password and it’s kept on a post-it note stuck to the screen! Keep passwords secure, and don’t leave computers logged into your system when you’re not around.
– Viruses: These can damage your computers and are unfortunately very easy to pick up when browsing the internet. If you do not have an anti-virus program, Security Essentials from Microsoft is a great way to protect yourself, and it’s absolutely free! Install it on each computer and do a regular scans to catch any problems.
– Staff: Did you have a member of staff leave on bad terms? Make sure and disable their access to your system as soon as possible to reduce the risk of malicious damage.
Remember, it is your responsibility as a practitioner to keep your patients data safe so if you are thinking about getting practice management software to ensure your data is safe , most providers should offer you two options.
1) You host your data yourself
2) Your software provider can host it for you
For example, TM2 customers have the choice between taking a local package or a hosted package.
Our local package means that you will be responsible for hosting your own data. This means keeping your server computer safe and taking regular backups in case of computer failure, fire, theft etc. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take regular backups!
Our hosted package, we store your clinical data and are therefore responsible for keeping it safe. Our secure servers are firewalled against any intrusion and we take regular backups for each practice which are then stored at various secure locations.
Make sure when you are choosing your software package, you think about which option would suit you and your clinic best, and then you will be safe in the knowledge that you are keeping yourself compliant with the Data Protection Act!
For more information on anything to do with cyber security, please do not hesitate to contact us on 033 33 442 600 or at [email protected]