Be careful in selecting cloud based services. We can't cover the myriad of cloud based providers who offer their services to your practice. From simple backups to full blown Software as a Service (SaaS) practice management and billing services. The list is long.
Exercise "due diligence" in selecting cloud provided services. There are many excellent choices and few not so goods. CYRSS is not in the application consulting business, but we can help evaluate security for records and data.
Here are some points to consider when selecting a cloud based service: First and foremost is company size and scope. Here bigger is better. If not selecting one of the established vendors then more caution is advised.
Check to see where data is being stored. Overseas may not be a good option for sensitive or HIPAA covered data. What kind of encryption is used when transferring data? How and when are backups done? What disaster recovery plans are in place? What setups are taken on shared servers to prevent cross accessing of data by authenticated users who are accessing other records? How long have they been in business? There is a lot more information in this deep dive article from Info World; cloud security deep dive.pdf
In the office make sure that security, records, and policies relating to the use and access of cloud based services meets security standards that will prevent intentional and unintentional data breaches.
That is where we come in.