By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    FDA Approves Diabetes Pill
    May 2, 2011
    Patient Gets Drunk on Hand Sanitizer
    June 20, 2011
    Cultivating Health Improvement
    July 20, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: NIST Recommendations for Security in the Outsourced Cloud
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Uncategorized > NIST Recommendations for Security in the Outsourced Cloud
Uncategorized

NIST Recommendations for Security in the Outsourced Cloud

onlinetech
Last updated: May 3, 2012 8:35 am
onlinetech
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

NIST (The National Institute of Standards and Technology) provides a number of recommendations addressing security and privacy issues with outsourcing cloud hosting services in its Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing published last December:

NIST (The National Institute of Standards and Technology) provides a number of recommendations addressing security and privacy issues with outsourcing cloud hosting services in its Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing published last December:

Governance
NIST refers to the organizational controls over policies, procedures, standards of development, and the design, implementation, testing, use and monitoring of deployed services. In short, they explain that while the cloud requires less capital investment, it still requires a high level of employee training and administrative oversight to maintain security.

Governance also refers to proactive risk management in the form of deploying audit tools to determine how data is stored, protected and used. Securing an audit trail of user/system activity  is also a PCI DSS requirement (10.5), and recommended for HIPAA compliance. The use of file integrity monitoring and log monitoring can provide continuous records of activity and alert you to any abnormal use to help prevent a breach.

More Read

hospice care
Understanding the Ins and Outs of Hospice Management
Inside IT Strategies – Moving Radiology Workflows to the Cloud
Interview/Podcast: Tim Fowler Discusses Bluetooth®-Low-Energy Enabled iPhone M-Health App Pt.2
Life Technologies Launches New Sequencing Analysis Software For The Cloud
Johns Hopkins Medical and IT Researchers Teaming With Harris Corporation to Create Mega Medical Imaging Cloud System

Compliance
While NIST recognizes the complexity and breadth of compliance regulations varying by industry, region and governing body, the take-home message is that organizations are ultimately held accountable for the security and privacy of data that is held by a cloud provider on their behalf.

NIST doesn’t come out and say cloud providers need to abide by the same standards that, for example, covered entities or health organizations in the healthcare industry need to follow. They also recognize that “the degree to which they will accept liability in their service agreements, for exposure of content under their control, remains to be seen.” This statement is more a reflection of current industry trends in compliance, instead of endorsing a standard that cloud providers should follow.

But if the organization is responsible for the security and privacy of data held by a cloud provider, then it’s up to the organization to do a thorough assessment of their cloud provider’s security controls and knowledge of industry standards.

Another aspect of compliance is data location – if outsourcing, be sure to tour their data center facilities to know exactly where your data will live, and what kind of security is in place to protect it. Download our HIPAA compliant data centers white paper for a complete guide to HIPAA hosting.

Trust
Direct control over security and privacy is transferred to the cloud provider, obviously demanding a fair amount of trust between the organization and provider. NIST recommends ensuring visibility into a cloud provider’s security and privacy controls and their performance over a period of time. NIST also recommends establishing cohesive and exclusive ownership rights over data.

Insider access can also lead to threats such as fraud and theft – ask your cloud provider if they do background checks on employees, and if they are properly trained on how to handle sensitive data.

Establishing data ownership and access, gaining visibility into security controls and conducting a risk analysis or assessment is fundamental to risk management. Prior to undergoing a third-party audit, a cloud provider should conduct a risk assessment of any potential vulnerabilities, whether alone or with the help of a security consultant. Find out what’s in a HIPAA risk analysis (helpful for healthcare organizations and anyone concerned with security).

Stay tuned for future blog posts on other cloud security recommendations, including Architecture, Identity and Access Management, Software Isolation, Data Protection, Availability and Incident Response.

References:
Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing (PDF)

TAGGED:cloud computing
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Video:Insights from the Industry: The Biggest Challenges HIM Departments are Facing

November 7, 2011
HipaaCat App
eHealth

HIPAA Compliant Clouds for Mobile Health Apps

August 2, 2012

Cloud Computing for Healthcare; Compliance, Disaster Recovery & Business Sustainability

September 7, 2011

Lack of Care Coordination Leads to Patient Frustration and Poor Care

October 1, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?