Secure File Transfer & Remote Data Access for Healthcare Providers

Background

Healthcare innovator medBEYOND was founded by a group of healthcare and technology professionals who saw the need to optimize electronic tools and services in the medical field. Today, medBEYOND is comprised of professional practice managers, CPAs, MBAs, Microsoft certified technicians and software managers, as well as professionals with backgrounds in electronic claims and clearinghouse setup and management. The philosophy of medBEYOND has obvious synergies with South River Technologies. Both businesses exist to bring leading-edge technology and services to organizations in an extremely efficient and cost-effective manner. Working with SRT has enabled medBEYOND to unlock the power, productivity and robust performance of enterprise-class managed file transfer and cloud storage services. This has helped to push the boundaries of medBEYOND’s operations, enabling the delivery of leading-edge technology and services to even small client practices.

Introduction

As a business that’s focused on innovation and evolution, medBEYOND is always looking to improve its core services and customer experience. As a healthcare provider, it is also committed to ensuring privacy and security as a high priority.

To support these goals, medBEYOND required a secure managed file transfer system, coupled with intuitive remote file access and editing tools. This system needed to enable them to host and provide access to data for client practices of all sizes and from any location. Crucially, the combined solution had to deploy rapidly and be fully compliant with FIPS 140-2 and HIPAA regulations.

Jared Cowan, senior technician at medBEYOND, explained: “The need for a comprehensive managed file transfer and access solution arose as our business grew and more of our clients wanted to work remotely and securely. We needed to host their data with complete confidence and provide them with access wherever they needed it.”

The Challenge

Provide secure, compliant data hosting and remote file access for healthcare clients while maintaining strict regulatory standards and supporting a rapidly growing user base.

Solution

Security and compliance are concerns for every business sector, but arguably nowhere more than in healthcare. Unsanctioned, ad-hoc consumer file-sharing services are potentially unsafe for customers to use and are notoriously difficult for IT departments, which struggle to enforce security policies and keep control of critical business data. For medBEYOND, South River Technologies’ (SRT) products struck the perfect balance of security and productivity for their 1,000+ users.

Secure Data Hosting & Compliance

• Regulatory Compliance: SRT’s MFT platform adheres to industry-standard secure protocols and meets regulatory compliance standards to ensure secure file transfers, providing an alternative to complex VPN implementations.
• Rapid Onboarding: The platform's rapid onboarding means medBEYOND begins hosting and offering access to client data as soon as the need arises, ensuring users are never tempted to resort to risky consumer-focused services or unsecured emails.
• Mandatory Encryption: Jared Cowan, senior technician at medBEYOND, noted: “All of our operational data has to be encrypted because we work continuously with doctors and other healthcare professionals. The security of patient information is obviously paramount.

Remote Access with WebDrive

• Familiar Interface: medBEYOND customers can access file transfer capabilities without running a separate software application thanks to WebDrive, which creates the familiar interface of a local drive letter. Users can edit and save files as easily as they would on a local desktop.
• Zero Support Overhead: Emphasizing the ease of use, Cowan explained: “A typical customer request might be a small doctor’s practice with a need to transfer files, either automatically or manually. Usually we set it all up for them, they find it very easy to use, and they don’t think about it from that point onward. It’s great for them, and from a customer support standpoint, there is no overhead at all; we set it up once and can then basically forget about it.

User Management with Active Directory

• Instant Access Revocation: Managing personnel changes efficiently is critical for maintaining healthcare security standards. By integrating with their existing infrastructure, medBEYOND can immediately cut off access. Cowan added, “So now, when a user leaves a practice, we can simply go into our Active Directory, disable that user’s access, and know that critical data is safe and secure.

Results

Since adopting SRT‘s MFT platform in 2011, medBEYOND has found the solution to be robust and stable. The technology has been so successful that the company now highlights its use of South River Technologies’ products to prospective clients to underscore its focus on data security.

According to Jared Cowan, the combination of robust security and ease of use is crucial, providing clients with "simplicity, security, versatility, and ease of deployment."

Key Outcomes:

• Enabled secure hosting of healthcare data at scale
• Supported 1,000+ users with role-based access
• Eliminated reliance on insecure file-sharing tools
• Reduced IT overhead with simplified onboarding
• Strengthened security posture and compliance