In Case You Missed It (May 12 – May 18, 2008)
News stories from the week of May 12, 2008 that piqued our interest:
Surety, LLC, May 13, 2008
In case you haven’t heard the news, Surety earlier this week released a survey that suggests significant concerns about email content security and the preservation of emails for litigation. The 2008 Email Security and Authentication Survey, which reached more than 800 IT security, email security and compliance professionals, revealed the following statistics:
• More than 65 percent of respondents lack confidence that their organization's email records would be admitted as evidence in legal, regulatory or patent disputes;
• More than 80 percent of respondents are concerned about their ability to authenticate email records and attachments; and
• More than 50 percent of respondents remain unclear on new regulations and legal expectations related to email authentication, including e-discovery.
Click here for complete survey results. Do you agree with what respondents reported? Let us know your thoughts and where you stand on the issue of email security.
New Electronic System Phases Out Paper Records
Gazette Newspapers, May 12, 2008
A Long Beach, Calif. hospital community is joining the electronic revolution by trashing paper records and adopting an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) program. The idea of this is to allow the medical staff at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and Miller Children’s Hospital to obtain patient information directly through a password-protected system that contains an medical histories, prescriptions, procedures, etc. This in turn will reduce technical errors and improve the patient’s overall experience.
“There are errors that occur, and we need to work on reducing that,” said Darice Hawkins, a clinical nurse specialist in the hospital’s department of cardiology. “This is more efficient for patients to get better care. We can all look at the same chart at the same time — it’s definitely different than using paper copies.”
As patients ourselves, we’re thrilled at the idea of quicker, accurate medical service, however we can’t help but wonder what security measures have been established. After all, sending medical records from department to department opens the door to potential tampering and illegitimate errors. We’d like to understand how the EMR program takes this into account and the ways in which it protects our private records from illegitimacy.
E-discovery nightmare: Does your company know how to respond?
Wisconsin Technology Network, May 13, 2008
Ever since the amendments were made to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, it has become common for companies to find themselves knee deep in e-discovery trouble. With that said, it’s critical that leaders prepare themselves for the inevitable and develop an action plan for the day they’re hit with a security breach. Take a look at the summaries below for an idea of what some experts believe are important, but be sure to refer to the full article for details.
Elements of a plan – According to attorney Erik Phelps, a partner in the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich, any and all security concerns should be funneled to one team of individuals. With legal counsel, one should also decide just how much control that particular incident-response group should have.
Forensically speaking – According to Phelps, it’s always a good idea for companies to familiarize themselves with forensic companies, those of which can provide advice and strategic counsel in a time of need.
Making amends – Should a security breach occur, it’s important for the company involved to maintain a healthy relationship with the customer who has been impacted. Taking it one step further, companies should also review its business processes and determine where and how the wrongdoing occurred. If it’s avoidable, then action should be taken in order to prevent it from occurring again in the future.
Prevention and retention – Understanding and adhering to date retention policies is also important in the e-discovery process. Failing to do so, for whatever reason, can lead to expensive lawsuits and a burned reputation.
Posted by Surety, LLC on May 20, 2008 at 10:20 AM
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