Is my data really any safer in the "cloud"?

This is a question we get asked all the time, and like many things in the IT world... the answer is a resounding "it depends." In order to completely answer it, we need to have a discussion about your office, but there are some things we commonly encounter. The first question is always about physical security. Where is your data? Is it all on a single server under the front desk? Multiple servers? Spread out all the network on different computers (cringe) or is it stored in a locked server room with limited staff access? How many people have access to it? Do you have signed business associates and/or privacy agreements with them? Is access to your data being logged? Is access to the internet protected? Do all users on your network have administrative rights to install new applications (malware)? Unfortunately, most of the time the answers to these questions are unfavorable from the perspective of securing data, or can't be answered at all without paying a HIPAA consultant thousands of dollars to evaluate your network. However, you can check all those boxes when you migrate to our cloud. Our cloud enables you to centralize your data, which also means we can control access to it. 

"I keep hearing about the cloud being hacked, why would I want to move my data there?" That's another question we hear a lot, and it's a good one, but there is also a good answer for it. The "cloud" is just a generic term for the concept of storing your data and apps somewhere else.

There are 2 major implementations of cloud computing:

• Public Cloud consists of service providers like Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure. These platforms are massive and power roughly 70% of your internet enabled life. They are huge pools of shared resources, but they are purposely "oversubscribed" for cost savings which means your servers may be fighting for processing time with many other customers. The entire infrastructure is controlled by the service provider and only they have physical access to the equipment. Depending on your needs, these platforms are a great choice.
• Private Cloud offers many of the same benefits of public cloud, the fundamental difference being that a private cloud is controlled from start to finish by whoever built it. The primary advantage being the ability to dedicate resources, deliver custom features, and implement additional security as a part of the platform. 

Our SecureCLOUD is a private cloud platform that we've built from the ground up to serve the needs of our customers. We use enterprise class hardware, secure network technologies, and have a tendency to overbuild, not oversubscribe... which means the performance you get in our cloud is unmatched.

A backup is a backup... right?

Every wonder why your IT Pro says you should never just press the power button to turn off your computer?  The reason is because your computer is constantly writing information to the hard drive, and if the computer was in the middle of writing an important file when your computer was turned off, that file could now be incomplete, and therefore "corrupted."  The databases that house your patient information, imaging, and accounting work the same way.  If your backup software doesn't verify your data is in a safe state, it's likely your backup won't be recoverable. 

File-based backup vs Image-based backup

• File-based backups are configured to make a copy of a specific set of files and folders on your server, and rely on the person (or robot =] ) who sets them up to include all the data that is necessary to make sure they are recoverable in a disaster.  It's important to make sure you communicate with your IT provider when you change or add software to your network to make sure the data is backed up.
• Image-based backups make a copy of the entire contents of your hard drive, which means this type of backup will contain all the files and folders necessary, including the Microsoft Windows Operating System, to restore your server in a disaster.  However, even with an image-based backup it's possible your files weren't in a consistent state during the backup and may not be usable, just like if you unplugged the power cord to your server.

So you're probably asking yourself... Is it even possible to get a good backup of my data!? Well, yes... it is! You just need to rely on people with the knowledge required to make sure your data is recoverable. Microsoft includes a technology with the Windows Operating System called Volume Shadow Services (VSS.) Realistically, what VSS does is ask applications to get to a "consistent" state to prepare for backup, so they are recoverable in the event of a disaster.  Sounds easy, right?  Just get a backup software that supports VSS!  If it were that easy your IT pro wouldn't be so snarky all the time.  The problem is that not all applications were built to conform to Microsoft's Standards for VSS compatibility.  In fact, many of the applications still used today were originally built utilizing database technologies designed in the 90's and haven't changed much since then.  If your software got much slower when you upgraded to Windows 7 then you know what we're talking about...

What does all this mean?  We think it means if you're happiest when you're not worrying about whether or not your backup is recoverable, you should give us a call.  We're happy to help.