The technologies from Google that use cloud computing like Gmail, Google App Engine, Google Docs etc. provide users a cloud oriented way of saving their data. Google provides its Cloud services in highly secure manner and security is certainly an imperative design component of each and every Google’s cloud computing element like data storage, processing, server assignment and compartmentalization.
The security controls which isolate the data during the processing in the Google’s cloud were developed along with the core technology right from the beginning. This security is certainly a key component. The Google’s security strategy provide the security controls at multiple levels of data access, transfer and storage. This security strategy of Google Includes the following components – Organizational security, access control, environmental & physical security, systems and software development & maintenance, Google corporate security policies, data asset management, personnel security, infrastructure security, business continuity and disaster recovery.
Google App Engine
Google App Engine enables the organizations to develop and host their web applications on the same infrastructure that is used by Google to power its own applications. Google App Engine offers faster deployment and development, effortlessly simple administration and scalability without any need to worry about hardware backups of patches.
Need for Google Apps Compliance for data protection
Today, about 4 million business organizations (big and small) utilize Google apps for their organizational needs. Thus Google is focusing on security and on providing a wide range of compliance options for helping its users in meeting their regulatory requirements.
The Google’s commitment towards security is outlined in the Google Security philosophy and its code of conduct. There are several products that use Google’s app engine to make the cloud a secure and safer place for their customers. One such organization is CloudLock.
CloudLock – An Introduction
With the amazing growth in Google Apps and there was an utmost necessity for an application which can secure data on Google apps and can easily scale in order to accommodate the user growth. CloudLock has come up with an advanced technology that ensure premium level of security for the data within Google’s infrastructure. One of the best features of this CloudLock security product is that it can be managed with minimal staff resources.
CloudLock enables the consumers of Google Apps to extend their organization’s data security and compliance run-throughs to the cloud with the help of a content aware security suite offering security for Google+, sites and Google Docs. The CloudLock utilized Google App Engine for achieving the scalability which it required for managing the rapid growth. The Google App Engine also serves the customers with Waltham Mass based start up along with the security required for keeping the data of customers safe. CloudLock launched these security products to help businesses in securing on-premise systems in 2008.
CloudLock initially developed its on-premise security solution with the help of Amazon web services but later on they preferred to keep their customers data on the Google’s infrastructure in order to achieve enhanced security. Also the scalability feature of Google Apps Engine, which helped to accommodate larger influxes in user growth make it a better option . Most of the companies require compliance with federal regulations or to possess internal security policies but this can become much challenging when the organizational data moves into the cloud.
CloudLock comes with security solutions in order to help such organizations gain higher control and more visibility into their data in order to implement policies pertaining to the access, sharing and security of sensitive data. These security solutions developed by CloudLock rely on several Google App Engine features for enhancing their services. These features include:
- Scalability feature of Google App Engine’s Datastore that effortlessly scales for accommodating the growing influxes of user data
- Google App Engine’s administration control for monitoring the performance, reviewing the error log and for testing the applications before making them live.
- Single Sign On or Open ID for providing users a secure access to the services offered by CloudLock through their already existing Google accounts
- Task Queues for enabling offline processing with which an application can continuously analyse larger amounts of data
The CloudLock’s security application developed on Google’s infrastructure helps the company to eliminate any hassles pertaining to growing storage requirements and higher demands. The CoudLock’s co-founder and CTO “Zalkind” says that Google App Engine helped them to gain the scalability that they needed for serving the large enterprises. The Google’s infrastructure is compliant with certain international auditing standards like SSAE 16 Type 2 which is a benchmark for the organizations facing privacy and security regulations. Cloud Lock it as a solid base for their service. Zalkind also suggested that with the help of Google App Engine they were able to achieve higher security standards.
Google Apps are HIPAA Compliant
HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) of 1996 presents the mandatory requisite for healthcare centres to collect, secure and handle the patient data in a specific prescribed way.
Google Apps are one of the leading SAAS provider. If health care organizations use SAAS from Google Apps for collaborating and communicating, they can surely optimize their resources.
Thus Google Apps came up with HIPAA compliance to provide higher efficiency, greater functionality and portability for the health care organizations. It also offers higher security as it helps in saving costs that can be invested for better security infrastructure.
The terms for use of Google Apps enclose all four requisite elements of a business association contract compliant to section 164.314 (a).
What is the benefit of Google Apps HIPAA Compliance?
The health care costs affect every individual and all the economic sectors. One study revealed that about 30% of the healthcare bills stem from inefficiencies and attribute to administrative costs. These inefficiencies generally arise from the antiquated ways of health care organization’s collaboration and communication.
This compliance may help in reducing the inefficiencies and in return the health care bill costs of people.
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