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Simplified Cloud Data Management to Ensure Security and Compliance

Meharry Medical College's complex data backup, security, and storage needs were complicated by HIPAA compliance requirements related to data sensitivity. However, the college struggled with aging IT infrastructure and assorted data management solutions that caused management complexities and integration challenges. To overcome these challenges, Meharry partnered with BlueAlly to implement a streamlined cloud data management solution that met its data security needs while complying with Protected Health Information (PHI) requirements.

Cloud and Data Tunnel

Meharry Medical College

Meharry Medical College is a historically black medical school originally founded in 1876. It is one of the oldest HBCUs in the United States and the first medical school to accept black students in the South.

Medical Student

Meharry Medical College

Meharry Medical College is a historically black medical school originally founded in 1876. It is one of the oldest HBCUs in the United States and the first medical school to accept black students in the South.

The Problem

Meharry needed to modernize its enterprise virtualization environment’s data security and backup framework for multiple components, including Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications such as Microsoft 365. The medical college also had to meet data retention policies for HIPAA compliance, with certain data sets requiring 10-year retention periods. This substantial integration project necessitated immense technical expertise due to Meharry’s historical reliance on legacy infrastructure and a hodge podge of data management solutions.

Additionally, Meharry’s cloud data management solution needed to integrate seamlessly with its distributed IT infrastructure management platform and data classification platform. The ability to implement a multi-cloud strategy while still complying with strict HIPAA regulations was also a key consideration. In completing this massive project, security was a paramount concern as medical institutions are high-risk targets for cyber criminals due to their data sensitivity and susceptibility to cyberattacks.

The BlueAlly Solution

We conducted a full assessment of Meharry’s enterprise virtualization environment and recommended Rubrik as an efficient cloud data management solution to meet Meharry’s data backup, security, and storage requirements. The Rubrik solution integrated by BlueAlly empowered Meharry with automated immutable data backups, sensitive data discovery, and ransomware-hunting capabilities that strengthened its cyber resiliency. BlueAlly’s customized solution also met Meharry’s core requirements for data encryption, both at rest and in transit, and provided ease of integration with Meharry’s data classification platform and multi-cloud environments. As a Microsoft-Gold-certified partner, BlueAlly leveraged its expertise to enhance the medical college’s data protection capabilities for Microsoft 365 applications and its overall enterprise virtualization environment.

The Results

BlueAlly completed this massive project within approximately 6 months from solution design to full implementation, resulting in a fully integrated cloud data management solution that met the medical college’s core data security, backup, and storage requirements. Rubrik’s immutable data backup capability enabled Meharry to meet retention period requirements specified by HIPAA, ensuring its data remained in its original state regardless of file corruption or cyberattacks. Through Rubrik’s data encryption capabilities, the medical college also enhanced sensitive health data protection in compliance with HIPAA requirements while mitigating cybersecurity risks, even in the event of a data breach.

Rubrik’s simple integration with Meharry’s data classification platform allowed the medical college to complete multi-tier backups on different platforms within its data protection infrastructure, including cloud storage and object storage. Rubrik’s ease of integration also extended to Meharry’s distributed IT infrastructure management platform and multi-cloud environments, strengthening the medical college’s overall data resiliency without adding management complexities. Through this collaboration, BlueAlly empowered Meharry with a cloud data management solution that future-proofed its data security posture, enabling the medical college to protect and back up its sensitive health data for enhanced operational continuity and regulatory compliance.

Simplicity

Mitigated the management complexity of Meharry’s IT and data security framework.

Security and Backup

Provided critical data security and backup capabilities to ensure cyber resiliency and data preservation.

Compliance

Met HIPAA regulations’ complex data security requirements to ensure privacy and data integrity.

Agility

Enhanced operational agility through a simplified cloud data management strategy.

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